Survival Is Only A Game
by Hearii
Summary: Full sum.inside. Kagome Higurashi was on the famous boat when a storm hit, crashing the boat. She never expected to be rescued by Inuyasha Takayama. What she also never expected was a psychopath using them as his toys, stranding them on an island.IK SM KA
1. Chapter I

A/N: Hearii-sama here, and back with another story! Yes, I realized three of my stories have been taken off Fan Fiction; one being taken off because someone reported it (because I had a poll to see what to do next ¬¬), one because of it's lack of reviews, one because I'm going to remake it. But, I am currently making two more stories not including this one and I want to only post this one right now. I'm incapable to write more than one story for some reason. Anyway, basically it's an InuxKag, MirxSan & KogaxAya.

**Summary:** Imagine it, palm trees swaying in a gentle breeze, crystal clear water, bright sun, thick forests for good shade, no people for miles; a secluded island. Now think of it this way. Trees that hold poisonous snakes and other animals that fall when passed by, shark infested waters, hurricanes and tornadoes with only few days of non-scorching heat, dense foliage filled with unknown killer creatures and no _sane _people for miles that can help; a deserted island.

Meet Kagome Higurashi and Inuyasha Takayama, the only survivors that were on the Magnetsu Cruise; a small ship that held only 50 passengers (including employees) that sank to the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. Kagome and Inuyasha manage to survive by pure luck and find an island by floating on a piece of the ship. They come to the island to find Miroku Kenmei, Sango Honoo, Koga Shuusin and Ayame Kaminari; survivors of different accidents. This is no coincidence. Later they meet Naraku Muteki, the one who 'brought' them to this island to test how long they survive and, of course, no one will make it out alive. Some of the 'guests' hold secrets and one is poisoned. Bonds are made and some aren't. Survival is just a game here.

**Chapter I**

Never again would Kagome completely believe in the saying "Don't judge a book by its cover." Sure she would have agreed with the saying one hundred percent about an hour ago, but now, she wasn't so sure. It never occurred to her that there were people in the world that were so frightening that you could get a prickling feeling down you spine with a single glance. She never thought someone would be able to make that happen to her. Maybe it was just the ship though.

The Magnetsu Cruise, also known, as the Full Moon Cruise was a small ship that currently only held 50 passengers but essentially 60, including employees. A small cruise but still a luxury cruise. In fact, one of the most expensive cruises around. With it's amazing chiefs, large rooms and amazing services in general it made the cruise five star. One month on a cruise with nothing but relaxation. That was the life. Of course you had to be filthy rich to actually get on; and Kagome Higurashi, owner of Higurashi Corporation was just that. She was always one to be modest about her wealth though; she didn't show-off her money (because she thought that's how you get robbed; if you were flashing cash). She found keeping a humble profile was the way to go. And she's probably right about that, too.

Kagome Higurashi was a graduate student from Tokyo collage and was top in her class making her valedictorian. Being the bright twenty year old she was at the time she never really had any trouble starting up her business; Higurashi Corp. Her small computer technology business boomed two years later and her small business became a multi-million corporation. Making Kagome a multi-millionaire, being the head of the company. And her business was still growing. Kagome didn't need that much money so she frequently donated making her even more popular. She had to admit; sometimes publicity was a _very_ good thing. But on the other hand…

…It could completely suck.

Like the media making up stories why she was single. Now **_that_** was a complete disaster. So she goes and gets herself a boyfriend. And when they broke up the media was even worse, if possible. There was no avoiding media.

On the topic of boyfriends and dating, Kagome was asked out regularly. And that really confused her. She was 5 ft. 5" with a slender figure, smooth delicate skin, bouncy raven curls, chocolate brown eyes and a personality people would die to have… so it only confused her. But no body else has second thoughts about her being drop-dead stunning. Like mentioned before, she's a very modest person.

But let's get back to the subject of the Magnetsu Cruise, rather than how timid Kagome is. Being the CEO of a company means dealing with lots of stress. How, you ask? Think about it; having to deal with stubborn business clients, employees, paperwork, balancing checkbooks, dealing with small problems and keeping up with rivals is no walk in the park. On several occasions Kagome has fallen asleep during long nights on the top floor of her office. No one is usually there to wake her up just like no one bothered with where she was. It's a very lonely business when you have no family and only work. Your job ends up being your only family. She had few friends, and that really is odd considering the amount of charity parties and business parties she goes to. It's probably because the parties are usually filled with pompous snobs who find money is all they need. Kagome didn't even have a best friend. Several times Kagome would give up everything to be a normal person with family and friends. So this cruise was Kagome's get-away. A month of all relaxing and putting her trusted employees to the test.

So far Kagome has been on this cruise for two weeks and it is at its farthest point in the Pacific before it starts to turn around. The Magnetsu was hundreds of miles from civilization. No businesses, no annoying employees, no paperwork. Getting away from paperwork had to be the best thing for her. Reading, signing, printing, scanning, faxing, typing… hours and hours and hours was put into those flimsy sheets that you could tear without any effort. Damn how she hated them… actually hate is such as strong word… but not as strong as loath. She _loathed _paperwork.

Ugh… she was finding different words to describe how she felt about paperwork. No wonder she was on vacation. She really deserved this, especially since as soon as she got back from her trip she'd have to have a business proposal on merging companies with someone else, to make one big company. That was big, not to mention stressful. She'd have to remember this trip when making her speech to relax herself or else she'd never make it out alive. No way in hell. But the one thing she would remember most about this trip is the man she had passed in the hall. She couldn't get his intimidating face out of her mind. The way his wavy hair looked so greasy as if it hadn't been shampooed in weeks, the way his red eyes glowered into her yet they held wanting and desire. Not lust, yet somehow desire. It's true what they say; the eyes are the windows to the soul. Then she met him at the banquet hall and he looked at her for a while before walking past her and he whispered in an almost inaudible voice "See you later," He had to be one of the creepiest people she has ever met. Kagome reflected on the 'encounter', as she called it, as she sat on the very comfortable chair, reclined back with her sunglasses and swimsuit on, on the ship's deck near the pool. 'Oh well,' She thought. 'I'll lock my door at night and pray he doesn't come.'

Kagome put her hair back in a ponytail to let her shoulders get a tan and as she was doing so she lifted her sunglasses to reveal her brown orbs. She looked to the sky and saw angry rain clouds coming in fast. "I guess I'll just go get a massage," she sighed as she gathered her belongings and walked towards the sign that read in pink, loopy letters "Massage Healing". Kagome got in on time just to narrowly avoid the rain.

When she walked into the room the speakers over-head boomed as the assistant captain's voice came on the P.A. system.

"Excuse us, passengers, but it seems a storm is coming our way. We suggest all travellers' stay inside their assigned rooms A.S.A.P. for safety and policy. Thank you and that is all." Kagome still continued to look at the P.A. system even though the announcement finished. It couldn't be that bad, she thought. But instead of going against the captain's wishes she turned around and exited the room. When Kagome came on the deck she looked out into the sea sky. The clouds were growing closer and closer, showing how dark they really were. Bending over the railing slightly she also saw that the waves were hitting the boat rougher and faster than before with the passing second. Kagome glared at the salt water.

"This is all your fault," she muttered under her breath as she turned on her heel. "I really wanted a massage."

Kagome crossed over the floorboards to her cabin and found it was harder to keep her balance. She was never one too good on her feet, and the waves just reminded her of how embarrassing it had been when she walked into the room for a press conference when she tripped over the small step that lead up to the speaker. She failed to grab onto something sturdy, but the blue curtain behind the microphone and successfully ripped it off its axis. That was something she knew she would never live down. Kagome now stood inside her cabin, made her way over to the bed and sat down.

But she would **not** let anything like that happen again because last time she was unprepared, by her standards at least. She knew this was her vacation, but since the passengers _have_ to stay in their cabins… well, a little practise for her business proposal wouldn't hurt, would it? She would practise everything, from what she was wearing and what tone of voice she would use at parts. She already had her speech written and complete. The harder part, for her, was practising and being completely composed; not her strong point. But I will be completely prepared, she thought to herself, thrusting her fist into the air with fire in her eyes. Kagome raced to her closet on the other side of the cabin and started sorting through all her clothes, looking for the perfect outfit to make her speech in.

An hour passed and after practicing her speech twice Kagome was out cold because of the steady rocking of the Magnetsu ship, the most luxurious cruise in all of Japan…

OOO

Kagome woke up in a daze, though she wasn't completely sure why. Maybe it was because the gentle rocking of the ship seemed to have passed a long while ago and every wave seemed like a little title wave. Maybe it was the thunder that boomed over-heads the ship, shaking it even more than the waves were. Maybe it was the blinding lightning flashing outside her porthole. Maybe it was the wind, the heaviest gust almost tipping the boat over. Or maybe it was everyone out on the deck, acting as if screaming was the only thing they could do.

Kagome, being controlled by the waves, was thrown out of her bed and splashed into two feet of water that was sloshed over her cabin floor. The water steadily leaked through the bottom of the door, like smoke in a house fire. Kagome quickly stood up and looked around her room. Everything was completely soaked! Kagome, deciding not to worry about that at the moment, flung open her door to see what was going on outside. When Kagome opened the door another wave passed by spraying Kagome with salt water and successfully stinging her eyes. Rubbing her eyes furiously, she tried to make her way over to the railing, were everyone was instructed to be, so no one was washed overboard. The assistant captain was nowhere to been seen; going to get life jackets, she guessed and the captain was in his booth trying to steer his way out of the storm. Kagome tried has hard as she could to reach the railing, but the waves were making it almost impossible for her to walk. The waves kept coming over board and drenching her face making her eyes hurt even more. After falling many times Kagome finally reached the banister and held on as hard as she could. Minutes passed by; seeming like hours. The waves seemed to start calming down slowly, but everyone still clutched the railing like a lifeline just in case. Soon the assistant captain came back, trying to rush over to the passengers to hand out life jackets.

Kagome dared to look over the rail, for the direction the waves were coming from. They lapped at the boat with less impact, yet the rain; thunder and lightning didn't seem to lessen. Everyone around her started to calm down slightly. And then everything after that seemed to blur. Someone screamed. Kagome's head shot up like a bullet. She gaped. A **real** title wave loomed over everyone. It crashed down, successfully tearing everyone from the railing. The boat cracked in half. Everything seemed so… high-speed.

As Kagome struggled to reach the surface a sharp pain trailed up her right leg, searing with agonizing pain. She had no clue what it was; her only focus at the moment was getting to the surface. Kagome felt as if her lungs were going to burst; if she didn't get air fast she would die. She stretched her hand up as far as it would go exposing it in the air. Just a few feet and she would be breathing… but she couldn't hold it. The last breath she had taken bubbled past her lips. Everything started to become hazier than it already was. It was almost… surreal. Somehow the best thing that had happened to her since she had woken up. Kagome started to sink, she knew. She closed her eyes; she was going to die. But she never noticed the long, clawed hand that shot out from above her, gripping onto her wrist hard and dragging her up to the surface again. She had already blacked out by then.

OOO

Okay, so how do you like the first chapter? I've been having a little crazy for the whole stranded-on-an-island bit with the Inuyasha crew, so if you know any good ones please tell me. Well, anyway… I should have the next chapter up soon. Hopefully (¬¬)

Sayonara,

Hearii


	2. Chapter II

AN: Hey, I'm back! Here's the second chapter of Survival Is Only A Game. Thanks to my reviewers, I loved _most_ of your reviews except one confused me. Okay people, should I put a Chapter Summary at the beginning of each chapter or should I just not ruin it? Your choice, tell me in your reviews (if you **do** review -) It's okay if you don't, I'm not going to be a nagging person who always say '10 reviews or no new chapter!' blah, blah, blah. I mean, the number of reviews doesn't matter; it's just what's _in_ the reviews! The reason I'm saying this is because I read a lot of stories a day. **A _lot_. **So I know what it's like not wanting to review unless you actually have something to say! But also, reviews are still highly appreciated. So I am hoping to update sooner than I did with my other stories, since I deleted them because I didn't update. What's the point of having a story if you don't update -.-? Okay well enough of my pointless babbling, and if you read all this give yourselves a pat on the back. Oh yea, I forgot this before I think…

_**I do not own Inuyasha!**_

I'm only saying it once throughout this entire story!

Oh and one more thing. If I could have someone who thinks be a Beta Reviewer to check my spelling throughout chapters it would be greatly valued. Thanks

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**Chapter II**

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Light filtered in through Kagome's eyelids as she started to regain consciousness. She was very stiff, she realized as she tried to find a comfortable position on her bed. Snuggling deeper into her pillow, she mumbled out something along the lines of 'Go away, sun. Go back to night-time.' and heard a low, quiet chuckle coming from above her. What? She thought to herself flipping over on her back and propping herself on her hand, elbow supporting her arm on her bed and rubbing her eye with her other hand as a symbol of trying to get the sleep out of her eyes. Ugh, apparently I'm not the only one stiff, she thought, referring to her bed. Finally, when her vision came to, she was met with two deep, violet eyes.

Kagome let out a small shriek and pushed herself to the edge of her 'bed', about to fall off. She teetered on the edge and was about to fall over when the person beside her shot out his arm and quickly -with almost an inhuman speed, might I add- grabbed her shoulder to keep her from falling off. Quickly composing herself, Kagome stared at the young man before her in shock.

"Who are you," She sputtered. "And why are you in my cabin?"

The young man raised an eyebrow. "Do you see any cabin?" He asked rhetorically in his rough yet somehow smooth voice. But he was right. Kagome looked around and realized she wasn't staring at the inside of her cabin, but rather at the wide ocean and wasn't laying on her bed, but a square, upside-down wooden table; two of its legs broken and one missing completely.

"Where- where am I?" She whispered, her eyes wide with fear. "Where's the ship?"

The man looked at her with slight sympathy and grimaced. "Don't you remember anything from last night?" He asked in a low tone, almost the same tone hers. Kagome felt panic bubble up inside her. She shook her head, knowing that if she tried to speak nothing would come out. She tried to ask what happened, but the man could see her obvious difficulty. He turned his head, trying to avoid her chocolate orbs. "A storm came in; it was a really bad one. It caused so much pressure on the ship that it cracked in half. I managed to get to the surface and hold onto the table…" He hesitated. "I looked for people but didn't see anyone- I honestly don't think anyone else made it-, and then I looked down to see you sinking. I pulled you up." he hesitated again. "I thought you were dead, but you spit up water and-" He didn't get to finish. Kagome launched herself into his chest, clutching his shirt like a lifeline. Then the tears started to come. Her shoulders shook as sobs racked her body. She stayed in this position for a few minutes, the unknown man comforting her by rubbing soothing circles along the top of her back.

Kagome started to remember it all; the storm, the title wave, sinking into the ocean, thinking she would never live. As she remembered every detail in a flash, the searing pain shot up her leg again. Kagome sucked in a breath as her and her bottom lip quivered as she pulled away and looked towards her leg. Kagome was startled to see the damage done. A long, deep gash covered the side of her leg, swelled a good amount. Blood covered the whole bottom part over her leg but she was sure it had stopped bleeding. The salt water that had leaked over the small table stung her leg with scorching pain each time it time it had touched the open cut. She also noticed part of it had started to become infected already. Kagome touched the wound lightly with her fingertips, but immediately winced with pain. The man seated beside her unbuttoned his red shirt and shrugged it off, giving it to Kagome.

"Wrap it up," He ordered handing it over to her. "You don't want it to get infected."

Kagome found her voice again. "Are you sure?" She asked quietly, looking at the red fabric. "I mean I can just-"

"Just take it," he said a little more loudly than before, cutting her off. Kagome stared at him for a moment.

"But-" Kagome protested a more confidently. But again, he interrupted her.

"Give it here," He ordered, taking his shirt out of her hands. For a moment she thought he was going to put it back on, but instead he gently grabbed her leg, minding the gash, and started to tie the shirt over the wound. Several minutes passed as he tied the red material, snaking it up her leg. After he was finished he inspecting his handy-work twice, looking for openings and finally, he set her leg down, carefully, on the slightly splintered wood. Kagome looked up at the man's face, showing him a slight smile.

"Thank you," she said, gratefully. Then Kagome realized she didn't even know the name of the man who had saved her from drowning. Kagome's smile grew a bit wider and she stuck out her hand. "My name's Higurashi," She said, in a bit more in a cheerful mood especially for someone who was stranded in the middle of the ocean. "Higurashi, Kagome. But you can just call me Kagome if you like."

The man returned the smile. "Takayama, Inuyasha. But just call me Inuyasha." He replied confidently, shaking her hand. Kagome's eyes widened slightly. She beamed and Inuyasha gave her a confused glance.

"So _you're_ Inuyasha Takayama!" She exclaimed. "I was supposed to make a business proposal to merge companies with you, but it looks like that will have to be put on hold, I guess."

Inuyasha understood what she was talking about but was still surprised she could switch her moods so quickly. He overlooked the reflection. Women were weird, he thought. "Well, this is one of the freakiest coincidences in the history." He said with a smirk.

"Yea," Kagome said tapping her finger against her chin in thought. The two sat in silence for a couple minutes. "Hey Inuyasha… This is kind of stupid but I could have sworn I had a pillow when I woke up." She paused and looked over at him. "Did you put something under my head?" She questioned. Inuyasha let a sly smile play on his lips.

"Well, I had to be sure that you didn't roll in your sleep; which you do," He pointed out, yet continued. "So you decided _yourself _to use _me_ as a pillow. Specifically, my chest." He said playfully. Kagome started to blush madly. "And to keep you from rolling, well, I had to hold onto your waist." Kagome's face flushed even more, if possible. Inuyasha lazily threw an arm over her shoulders and continued. "And let's not forget they way you kept snuggling deeper into my chest, now." Kagome was completely silent in embarrassment. After a few minutes he face began to take its natural shade again. Kagome knew she wouldn't be able to answer what he had just said (in fear of more embarrassment) but her brain registered his last comment and Kagome's traitorous eyes wandered past his face and landed on his well-toned chest.

"I know I'm hot," Inuyasha started "But if you wanted to check me out you could make it less obvious," He whispered naughtily in her ear. Immediately, Kagome's face glowed bright red yet again. Kagome let out a small squeak and she quickly pushed away from him and turned her head, burying her face into her hands.

Kagome heard a large splash occur behind her and the table started to rock furiously, almost dumping her into the water. Kagome yelped and threw herself against the table, holding onto the sides of the square table, trying to keep her balance. The rocking soon started to stop and she felt someone looming over her. Kagome peeked up at Inuyasha who was now soaking.

"No need to kill me, I was only joking!" He said with false anger. Kagome smiled up at him sheepishly.

"Sorry," she said guiltily with a small grin. "But you _did_ deserve it, joke or not." Kagome sat back up, tucking her legs underneath her, being careful of her bad leg, and Inuyasha took a seat next to her. Yet again, they sat in silence. "Thank you," Kagome said at kindly. Inuyasha gave her a confused look and Kagome gave him a small but genuine smile as she started to trace random patterns with her finger on the wood. "I know you did that to take my mind off what has happened. I really appreciate it. Even though it _was _a bit of an odd way of doing it." Kagome looked over at him and realized he was trying to stifle a yawn, but failing miserably.

"I guess, but I'm odd." He winked.

Kagome was still looking over at him. "Say Inuyasha…" She started.

"Yea," He said trying again to suppress another yawn.

She looked up at the sky, noticing that the sun was setting. "Was I sleeping all night and most of today?"

He paused, thinking for a minute. Obviously sleep had hazed his mind. "Yea," He answered.

"And have you been up that whole time?" Kagome pressed.

Inuyasha just nodded this time, blinking. Kagome noticed that the times when he closed his eyes seemed to stretch longer and longer before he opened them again. Kagome gently grabbed his shoulders and slowly lowered his head down on her lap. His eyes slowly opened halfway.

"What are you doing?" He asked quietly, words slurred slightly together. It was amazing how he's suddenly so tired, Kagome thought. He was just bursting with energy just minutes ago, it seemed.

Kagome gave him another smile. "You looked like you could used a pillow. I just happen to have one." She joked lightly. Inuyasha grinned, but didn't lift his head from her lap. In minutes the smile faded and his breathing became even. He was asleep.

OOO

Kagome was still awake three hours later, letting Inuyasha rest in her lap. It was the least she could for him after all he did, saving her life. By now the sun had gone down and it was the new moon, leaving the stars as her only source of light. Kagome looked up at them and their mystical beauty, wondering how millions of balls of gas in space could grip her attention so much. After gazing at them for who knows how long Kagome turned her attention back to the man who rest in her lap calmly. Kagome noticed how he looked so much more at peace when he was at sleep. She studied his features. His jaw was set steady and his skin was a slight tan colour, tanner than her skin. His long, black hair was barley noticeable when it blended in with her ankle-length black skirt, and she thought it was a bit unusual to see someone with that long of hair in these times, but it suited him perfectly. Everything about him at the moment seemed completely perfect. Yes, she had to admit, he was very attractive.

Kagome wondered how old he was. He looked a little older than herself, maybe about twenty-five. Her eyes subconsciously wandered towards his hands, looking for a ring. Kagome was surprised to not see a gold band on his hand to represent he was married, but instead she saw a beautiful ruby seated on a silver band, placed on his middle finger. She was almost positive he would be married but when she thought back to earlier today she quickly threw away the thought. She didn't know why he did that, but for some reason it made her feel much better. It was probably because it completely took her mind off the shipwreck. Kagome's eyes started to fill with tears again. Was what Inuyasha said true? Did anyone else survive? She looked over the surface of the ocean, how calm it looked now and she thought back to what it looked like during the storm. Everything had happened so fast, and she couldn't even believe she had made it out alive. Her tears swelled up with even more tears. Why did this have to happen! She screamed in her mind.

Kagome pushed the thought in the back of her mind, the tears going with it. "Now is not the time to think about that." She said quietly to herself.

Kagome slowly slid her bad leg out from underneath her, trying not to wake the sleeping man. She looked at her temporary red bandage, still feeling bad about using Inuyasha's shirt. Kagome looked at Inuyasha, who seemed to be in a very deep sleep, and wondered that if she tried to move him would he wake up? Kagome took her chances and tried to gently lift the sleeping man without waking him up. After setting his head against the wooden table, she stood up and looked at her skirt. Gripping the top of the rip where the cut ended she started to tear the skirt in half, making the skirt knee length. Kagome started to unwrap Inuyasha's shirt from her right leg after she finished ripping her skirt. When she tenderly took the cloth off her leg she gasped slightly at the damage. The gash was starting to turn a slight purple colour and she knew that if it weren't treated properly soon it would become infected. Kagome tossed the red shirt to one side of the table and started to wrap up the wound with her own black skirt. After she was finished she noticed that the job wasn't as well done as Inuyasha's, but it would still do. Kagome once again grabbed Inuyasha's shirt and started surveying it. She saw that there were some rips in it, but only a few. She noted that the ends were tattered slightly, and there were a few dry blood spots from her cut.

Kagome crawled over to the edge of the bottom of the table as far as she could, balancing out her weight with Inuyasha's. Kagome dripped the shirt in the ocean and started to try and wash the blood out of the fabric. After getting out a fair amount Kagome wrung the shirt out and pulled it over the one good table leg, allowing it to dry. She figured that it would be dry by the time Inuyasha woke up. Kagome crawled back over to where Inuyasha was and resumed her original position, pulling Inuyasha back onto her lap. Kagome stared back out at the sea; her hand instinctively running itself through Inuyasha's forelock, as she tried to ignore the pang of hunger and thirst that settled itself in her stomach.

OOO

Somewhere along the line of nighttime Kagome feel asleep. Inuyasha figured it was about two or three in the morning when she finally drifted off to sleep, sitting up. How he came to this conclusion, he didn't know, he just ball-parked his guess. When he woke up he it was about the time the sun was rising so he guessed around six in the morning. Inuyasha just lay in Kagome's lap, turned on his side to watch the sun rise. After watching the sunrise complete he took a guess that it was about seven in the morning. Inuyasha still lay in Kagome's lap in fear that if he sat up she may wake up. Also because it felt good to rest in her lap, though he'd never admit it.

Inuyasha lifted his right hand in front of his face and looked at the claret stone that was positioned snuggly on his finger. He wished he could take it off, but if he did he knew it would mean disaster. That ring was the only thing keeping Kagome calm, though she didn't even know it herself. Inuyasha pressed the desire to take it off out of his mind. He couldn't, no matter what he wanted. Inuyasha placed his hand back down fallowed by a small thump of his knuckles against the wood. The small noise caused Kagome to slightly stir, Inuyasha noticed, but not wake her up. She was a light-sleeper, Inuyasha concluded to himself. He'd have to keep that in mind.

Inuyasha looked down at Kagome's right leg, to see if the make-do bandage was still in place, but was a bit surprised to see that the cover had change from a red shirt to a black material. Inuyasha looked past Kagome's sleeping form and noticed his red shirt was hanging on the only still standing table leg. Just by seeing what Kagome had done, which was let him have his shirt back and washing it, he knew she was too kind for her own good; the type of person who puts others before themselves. Inuyasha let a small, sad smile pass on his lips. It reminded him of his mother…

Inuyasha heard his stomach growl quietly. He then realized his mouth was very dry and he could feel small twinges of hunger in his stomach. If he was the slightest bit hungry, he couldn't imagine what it was like for Kagome. If they, especially Kagome, didn't get food and water soon they would die. There was nothing they could do now, except hope for a miracle. He expected the ship's tracker was destroyed in the storm and people on the main land wouldn't expect the ship to return for another two weeks.

Inuyasha quietly lifted his head from Kagome's lap and crawled over to where his shirt was. Inuyasha bunched his shirt up in a ball and placed it on the table, making it a pillow. Inuyasha grabbed Kagome's shoulders like she had done with him the night before, and gently pulled her down on the 'pillow'. When Kagome's head landed on the pillow her eyes fluttered open, revealing her chocolate-coloured eyes.

Kagome gave him a small smile. "'Morning," She mumbled, rubbing her eyes. "How'd you sleep?" She asked innocently, looking at him. Inuyasha shrugged.

"Okay, I guess. How about you? What time did you get to sleep?" Kagome mimicked his shrug.

"I dunno, about two or three." She answered, handing him his shirt. "I washed it for you. I decided I could use my skirt, so you can have it back now."

Inuyasha took the shirt from her and put it back on. "You could have kept it, you needed more than me." Before she could reply, Inuyasha continued. "But thanks."

Kagome flashed him a bright smile. "It's the least I could do. After all you did save me." She added a bit shyly. "Hey Inuyasha?" She started. "Why were you so tired last night? I mean, you seemed to not be tired at all before."

Inuyasha stiffened. She noticed? He thought to himself. After a few seconds Inuyasha realized she was still waiting for an answer so he relaxed himself. Inuyasha tried to look casual and shrugged his shoulders again. "I guess after everything settled down a bit more sleep just came rushing to me." Inuyasha switched the subject before she could question him forward. "I think you should get some more sleep, you didn't get much last night."

Kagome shook her head. "Nah," She began. "Once I wake up it's almost impossible for me to get back to sleep." She paused, thinking for a minute. She thought back to last night. "Inuyasha? How old are you?" She questioned.

"Twenty-four. You?" He asked back. And that's when they just sat there, floating on their little raft, asking each other any questions they had on their mind. They got to know about each other a fair bit. They sat there for hours, just saying what was on their mind until Inuyasha asked…

"How's your leg? Is it feeling any better?"

"Not really," Kagome admitted. "In fact, it's really stiff and I think it's asleep. Maybe I should go for a swim to wake it up, what do you think?" Inuyasha hesitated.

"I don't know…" He said. "Wouldn't the salt water hurt it?"

"A bit, I guess," Kagome lied. It would hurt, but she was willing to pay the price to move around and wake up her numb leg. "But it would be more important for it to actually not be dead, wouldn't it?" She reasoned. Inuyasha slowly nodded.

"I guess… just don't open it up again!" He warned as she already started to slip her legs into the water.

Kagome looked back at Inuyasha. "All right," She agreed, pushing herself a few feet away from the boat. Inuyasha looked like her was about to say something but she cut him off. "I'll stay in sight of the…" She paused, not knowing if she should just call it a boat or not. "I'll stay in site of you," she decided on. Inuyasha sighed in defeat.

"I don't have a good feeling about this," Inuyasha muttered to himself as he watched Kagome dunk herself under water. "Not at all."

OOO

Kagome let out a happy sigh as she immerged broke the surface of the water. It felt so good to finally stretch her arms and legs; just move around! Kagome held her breath again before plunging back into the water. Kagome swam along for a bit, further and further away from Inuyasha, yet still staying in sight like she said she would. Kagome ignored the stinging sensation occurring in her leg that seemed to get stronger. Kagome swam down, deeper into the water. When she came back up she noticed that the table was just a speck on the ocean's waves. Kagome started to swim back when something she saw something white in the corner of her eye. Kagome swam towards the object and picked it up, letting out a shrill, loud scream.

OOO

As Inuyasha waited for Kagome to come back he dangled his legs along the side of the table. Maybe I should go for a swim when Kagome comes back, Inuyasha thought, gripping the edge of the table with his hands. Inuyasha lifted his right hand to examine the ruby ring on his middle finger. Inuyasha sighed, still holding it up, when he looked past his hand and saw specks of red littering the side of the boat, dripping into the ocean. Inuyasha's eye's widened at the sight of blood.

"Fuck!" He yelled as he realized Kagome's wound had opened up when she had got into the water. She must have scratched it along the side of the boat when getting in the water, he thought angrily to himself. I should have just gone with my first instinct and not let her go in the first place!

Inuyasha ripped his ring off his hand and put it on the raft. As soon as he did he started to swim with an almost inhuman speed to where Kagome was. Kagome was swimming back to where the boat was, not noticing Inuyasha coming her way. If a shark comes… Inuyasha trailed off, darkly, in his own thoughts. Inuyasha looked past Kagome, who had not noticed it, and saw a fin sticking up in the water. "Shit!" He swore, racing faster towards Kagome. When he reached her he immediately threw her on his back and sped even fast towards the table. The shark was gaining on them, so Inuyasha pushed himself even harder to go faster. Seconds later Inuyasha reached the raft and tossed Kagome onto it. Inuyasha grabbed his ring and shoved it over his middle finger. Just as the shark came Inuyasha realized it wasn't as big as he thought, but still fairly big. Inuyasha shoved Kagome behind him and pulled his arm back, forming a fist. When the shark came within arms length he threw his fist at it. Inuyasha was relieved when he head sickening cracks come from the side of the shark's skull and the shark swam away, slinking back into the deep, blue ocean. Inuyasha sighed then turned around quickly to face Kagome.

"Did you even know you were bleeding?" Inuyasha seethed, narrowing his eyes in anger. Inuyasha pulled himself up on the raft, facing Kagome. Kagome just sat there, white as a ghost, with her legs to her sides. "It's a hellva good thing you screamed, 'cause if you didn't you would be dead right now! I told you not to open your cut, but no, you just go and do that _before you even get off the fucking boat!_" He yelled at her. Kagome flinched at his harsh tone and tears started to swell up in her eyes. Kagome chewed on her bottom lip. Immediately, Inuyasha realized that she thought he was yelling at her, when in truth he was angry at himself for letting her go.

"I--- I'm sorry," She whispered to Inuyasha, a tear rolling down her cheek. "I didn't know." She choked out. "It's just I found…" She trailed off. This grabbed Inuyasha's attention. Inuyasha's expression softened slightly.

"What did you find?" He asked, his tone still a bit angry. "Kagome? Tell me what you found." He ordered. Kagome hiccupped.

"I found… I found a body!" She cried. "He was only a kid!" Kagome launched herself into Inuyasha's chest, just like she did when she woke up yesterday. She started to sob for a while. She clutched onto his red and started shaking madly. "He was dead… his eyes were…were wide open just staring at me." She started to sob harder. Inuyasha went pale. He let a shaky breath out and closed his eyes, encircling the crying woman in a comforting embrace. About a half hour passed before Kagome's breathing evened out. Inuyasha pulled back from the hug and looked down at Kagome's face, eyes red from crying, cheeks stained with tears. Her body looked so frail compared to before. Inuyasha sighed and lay her down on the table. How did this girl become the closest thing he had to a friend in years in a matter of one and a half days? He'd never know…

OOO

The body started to sink. Hakudoshi could feel his body being pulled down into the see, floating on one side, his eyes closed. In an instant they snapped open and he grinned evilly towards the surface. Phase one, he thought, complete. And with that he let his body sink a bit further down before swimming in the same direction on the little craft, bobbing on the calm ocean surface.

(A/N: Dun dun dun dun!)

OOO

Inuyasha grabbed Kagome's leg and started to unravel her bandage to see how much it had bled. Inuyasha sucked in a breath at what he saw. The gash was still bleeding slightly but almost all of it was covered with infection. How did that happen so fast? He asked himself. Inuyasha looked at Kagome's face, which had once again gone pale and her breath became rugged. Inuyasha felt her forehead but immediately pulled his hand away, as if being burned. She was running a high fever because of the infection. Inuyasha knew that if she didn't get any help in the next day, along with some food and water, she was going to--.

It dawned on Inuyasha. There was one way he could get rid of the infection right now, instead of waiting, he told himself. He fiddled around with the ring on his finger, twisting it around and pushing it up and down his finger. Only one thought came to mind when he pictured the idea…

Would he be able to stop?

* * *

A/N: So how was this chapter? It was my longest chapter ever in recorded history… 9 pages exactly, not including this. And I think it was pretty good, I covered a lot of stuff. Like Inuyasha and Kagome meeting for the first time and the aftermath of the storm. Also, now we know something is defiantly up. Now to clear some things I think will be asked up.

**1. Why was Inuyasha so friendly towards Kagome? I mean, he even gave her a hug and everything!**

_I hate hugs almost as much as Inuyasha hates sits, unless the hug is coming from my parents. But even I would be as nice to someone if that happened to us, if I was in Inuyasha's shoes. It would be a bit different if it was my enemy or something, but this is someone I don't know and I wouldn't just sit there and let him or her cry. That'd be just plain mean._

**2. Inuyasha flirted with Kagome? Is he going to be like Miroku in this story, or will he be a player? Well, what is it!**

_No, I'll admit Inuyasha was way OOC for most of this chapter, but don't worry he should be his normal self, more or less. He flirted with her for two reasons. Major reason is that he wanted to take her mind away from what happened (It would take my mind away from what happened, too!) and the not-so major reason is that this is in the modern era. Not feudal. So Inuyasha will have his guy moment's off-and-on. I'm not saying all guys are like that, but most guys will sometimes be in flirtatious moods, when the opportunity knocks. So to sum the not-so major reason up, it's Inuyasha's a guy and I don't think he's planning on getting a sex change._

**3. Why'd you make it so obvious that Inuyasha is probably a demon/hanyou/not your ordinary human right from the beginning?**

_I thought that someone was going to catch me on what happened at almost the very end of the first chapter, when a hand pulled Kagome out of the water. Look back if you didn't catch it. You see, I'm not one who's good at writing suspense/mystery stuff, so I thought I'd just be plain open about it. Just because we know Inuyasha isn't ordinary doesn't mean Kagome does. _Wink 

**4. Oo Inuyasha punched a shark in the side of its face? He actually punched a shark? O.O**

_I read in a book about sharks that if ones about to attack you you're supposed to poke it really hard in its eyes. I don't see Inuyasha poking a shark in the eye, seems a bit too rational for him. So I thought about what Inuyasha would **really** do. Give it the ol' one-two of course! That's what I think he's do, at least._

_

* * *

_  
Okay, that's all I wanted to clear up. If anyone has any different questions that need to be answered I may be able to clear it up, if it doesn't give anything away. Please review. Hopefully the next update will come soon!

_Sayonara,_

_Hearii-sama_


	3. Chapter III

A/N: Hey I'm back with a new chapter. Well anyway, first I have to say that I loved everyone's reviews; they all made me smile. And second, I'm sorry about not updating; I've had my vacation for about ten days then, to be blunt, the lazy mood fallowed. I worked on it everyone once and a while, but not a lot within each period of time. Eh he…

_Anyway, I'd like to thank (Reviewers that are not underlined are_ _Anonymous Reviewers):_

_Inuhanyou_

Kikira-Lynn

Smiley Gurl 87

Jaspyn

tweakinuears

sasha the water goddess

Kagome Lover!

young kagome

namenotneeded

i-luv-the-cat-sohma52

Smiley Gurl 87

s0fetch

Kasatka

For their reviews on chapters one and two! Also, thanks to 'I am no one and I stand alone' even if all they said was 'Um…" and I had no clue what to make of it -.-'

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**Chapter III**

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Inuyasha broke out into a cold sweat and turned around to face the vast, open sea. He had to admit; helping Kagome get better without any medicine or medical care had to be one of the most difficult things he had done in his life. And he had done a helluva lot of hard things. He put his hand to his forehead, snapped his eyes shut and let out a small groan of pain. He was starting to get a migraine and when he got them there was only medication that could stop them, so he was out of luck.

After a few minutes of searing pain in his head he finally managed to open his eyes and look at Kagome. He felt her forehead and noted her fever had gone down a considerable amount and was only slightly still there. Her face was starting to regain its natural colour as well. Good, he thought turning back around. I thought she wasn't going to make it for a while. Now all I have to worry about is food and water.

Inuyasha knew he shouldn't have thought of that because as soon as he did the feeling of gnawing hunger was realized in his stomach. And don't even get me started about how dry his throat and mouth were. Inuyasha knew he'd have to get them, more specifically Kagome, something to eat and drink soon. Inuyasha glanced back out at the ocean and gaped. My God, he thought, what the hell were the odds of that?

Inuyasha looked in front of him warily. He knew that that wasn't there before, because he would have noticed. Kagome would have even noticed it if she was conscious right now, by it's size. Inuyasha examined the island carefully. He studied its size, what was located on it and what was around it. It was big, very big, yet not big enough to go on a map of the world, or even Asia. Trees were clustered together tightly, almost making the whole island under a canopy. Sand lined the outside of the mass of land, large rocks dotted here and there. But the thing that Inuyasha found confused him the most was that about a fourth of a mile from the edge of the island small waves lapped an invisible object as if rocks were blocking it; minus the fact that nothing was blocking the wave's path now. Inuyasha's amber eyes fallowed along the path were the waves were making contact with the unseen force. It seemed to surround the island, as far as he could tell.

As Inuyasha watched he realized that they were slowly passing the island by. He looked at the waves watching them wash further into the sea as the wind gently pulled them east. Inuyasha froze. They were off course! They were going to miss the island! Inuyasha quickly, but carefully, crawled over to the raft. He dipped his hands into the salt water, ignoring the slight stinging coming from the shallow cut on his right palm. He leaned over the edge as far as he could, without tipping over the table. Inuyasha started to paddle his hands rapidly towards the island. He could easily take off the ring, but as long as Kagome was unconscious he knew it would be too hard to keep her balanced on his back and swim to the island. Keh', Inuyasha thought with a snort. She'd still probably drown in the water. So Inuyasha continued to paddle his hands against the tide.

But no, it was futile. The current was too strong, even for him. So just as Inuyasha was about to jump into the water and push the floating table towards the isle his midnight hair whipped in front of his face harshly. The raft quickly started to push towards the island, rocking the raft cruelly. Inuyasha pursed his lips. Wind doesn't change direction like that so rapidly, he thought suspiciously looking west, where the wind was coming from. Something was up, he knew. Someone was pushing them towards that island.

A freak storm that no one predicted, Kagome finding that body (which magically floated by itself all the way out their without sinking) and now the wind's supernatural change in path were all questionable.

Inuyasha looked towards the invisible 'force' that waves crashed against like waves on a harbor sailboat. They were at least 30s feet away from it now. Inuyasha which he had studied magic like his late mother had told him to years ago when he was in collage.

"You may need it at _some _time," He recited his mothers words to himself. "You never know what you may find but you will if you take that class."

Inuyasha could only stare as the waves that crashed together approached closer. Five feet away now. Inuyasha clamped his eyes shut and pressed his body against the board. And waited for them to hit the wall. Waiting for impact was not something Inuyasha would normally do, but his mind went blank; all he could think about was getting to that island, and maybe, hopefully, he was just going insane from the lack of water and food so the waves hitting something was just his imagination. Hopefully. Err…

Inuyasha waited a few moments before peeking an eye open. Surely they would have hit the barricade by now, considering the speed they were going at. Inuyasha lifted himself off the board and looked around, ignoring when his hair came forward and lashed against his face. He looked where the "barrier" was as they continued to push forward, but the waves just pushed along, not being stopped by any sort of obstacle. Inuyasha pressed his forehead against the warm wood of the table. Maybe he _was _going insane. That, or he was just **_slightly _**paranoid. Hell he wouldn't be surprised if just as they were about to reach the isle it disappeared.

If Inuyasha had kept looking at the place where the waves had crashed against the "wall" a bit longer he would have noticed that the waves started to crash against something again. And now they were inside the bubble that surrounded the island. The interior of the barrier took on a translucent glow.

---------------------------------------

The computer screen sent off a bright glow in the dark room, light bouncing off of everything metal, and reflecting off the mirror. He starred at the PC monitor, elbows resting gently on the armrests of his large, black business chair. He crossed his legs with one smooth motion and rested his chin on both of his entwined hands. He kept starring at the screen with a flash of amusement in his eyes. He scanned over the small document again.

**Arrival;**_August 20th, 2006_

**Departure;**_ Cancelled_

**Destination; **_Death_

His intentions for these six were crystal clear. Nothing would stop him from getting this. Odds were finally against someone else. A small chuckle passed his lips as they formed a small yet sinful grin. His lips formed to make four words.

"Welcome to the island."


	4. Chapter IV

A/N: Okay, I'm back again! School's a bitch, ne? Yes, well, I'd like to thank everyone who R&R 'd. Hell, even those who just read and didn't review I thank (as long as they liked it of course).

And of course, besides the school thing, I have another explanation to why I am so late to update! Anyone reading's computer ever gotten the Trojan Horse virus? Maybe even heard of it? Yea, well my computer got it and our Internet quit working. We had to get our WHOLE computer dumped, everything wiped and only a few things were saved on a disk. So yea, for a LONG while I was without Internet (Honestly do **not** know how I survived) and the only way to get Internet was the public library. It sucked so badly…

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Chapter IV

**------------------------**

Inuyasha looked across from him at the island that lay ahead, trying to come to a conclusion of what was happening.

The wind had temporarily subsided from a firm gust to a gentle pushing of the raft. Inuyasha looked down at his reflection in the blue-green water to see a face scowling back. Whoever wanted him here, for whatever twisted reason they did, was going to get it… unless all the things that happened really _was_ a coincidence. But he highly doubted it.

Returning his attention to the island Inuyasha realized that it looked just like something out of a brochure. Sand that slipped through your fingers with no large rocks that jab your feet; a dark green awning, shading you from the sun's rays; a single mountain, not too big but rose quite a bit over the foliage; crystal clear water that splashed against large sunbathing rocks, leaving a slight trace of foam; a cloudless sky that would make the most brilliant sunrises and sunsets; paradise. An island paradise lay before him.

Inuyasha let out a disapproving snort. He and Kagome were the only survivors of a ship that sunk. That left them to be food for hungry vultures on a wooden table that would sink if one more person were on it. For the last few days they had no food or water, one of them almost becoming a sharks dinner, and now they had to fend for themselves on some island. Not to mention something suspicious was happening. Yeah, that's quite a paradise.

By now, they weren't too far from the island and Inuyasha looked back down at the ocean and saw a beige floor of sand. The sand was untainted and pure with no heavy rocks; only a few fish and other sea creatures with the occasional shell. They had reached the point where Inuyasha could jump out and pull the raft to shore.

'Finally,' Inuyasha thought as he jumped off the floating piece of wood, making water splash over the edge as it bobbed up and down. Inuyasha let out a sigh as he stretched his cramped muscles as the small waves rushed over his shoulders. The young man grabbed onto the table's edge and started to pull it towards the shore. The soft sand that was submerged underwater made its way in-between his toes but was quickly washed back out with each step towards the coast.

Minutes passed and the water slowly went down from his stomach, then to his waste, then to his knees and finally he reached the shoreline. Inuyasha's grip on the table tightened slightly as he started to drag the table towards the shade coming from a cluster of palm trees.

Inuyasha carefully picked up Kagome from the table, bridal style, and set her down gingerly on the shaded sand. He scowled at the black-haired girl and wondered that why of all times she could have passed out she did when something major happened. He realized it would take a bit of time to adapt to the woman's antics - the somewhat innocent blindness of a child, the trusting and forgiving, the sympathetic-ness, the happy-go-lucky personality. Inuyasha even suspected that deep down she had that occasional glint of the hell-hath-no-fury-than-a-woman-scorned and defiance qualities.

It wouldn't be easy, spending time with a person like that. They were the ones who bug, annoy, ignore and flip in extreme situations and even when things don't go as planned. He dearly hoped she wasn't the type who wanted to know every detail of what's going on in circumstances, but he had the strange feeling she was.

Inuyasha dusted his sand from his hands and thought: 'Now to find us some water and food.'

Inuyasha looked around the deserted coastline. He'd need to go find water, but first he would need something to carry it in. A coconut shell would do. Inuyasha looked up at the palm trees. There, nestled in its leaves large green, were three coconuts. Inuyasha let out a long sigh. He just wasn't going to get a break, was he? At first, Inuyasha tried shaking the tree, trying to loosen the coconuts. After about five minutes of shaking Inuyasha realized he would have to climb the tree. So he started to work his way up the tree.

When Inuyasha was about half way up he looked down. _God, this is 11th grade gym class all over again! _He thought to himself, climbing at a steady pace up the slippery bark.

Inuyasha was never one bad at physical activities, in fact he was very good at them. He could throw, catch, kick, punch, run, climb, you name it and he could probably do it. Though climbing wasn't his favourite thing. He thought back to grade eleven, gym class with Mr. Tsutomu. Inuyasha's turn for climbing the rope came when the teacher announces that he has to step out for a moment. Most likely for a smoke, everyone probably thought at that moment. So here Inuyasha was, stuck halfway up a rope about three or four kids that didn't like him below him (he wasn't the most popular person in school, mind you). Some kid below yanked the rope while others swung on it like a five year old on a tire swing. Eventually, the rope gave out under the immense weight when a 300-pound kid also hung from it. Poor Inuyasha nearly broke his legs! So… he resolved things by nearly smashing the three kids' faces in. Sure, he got suspended for a couple weeks, but he still whole-heartily thought it was worth it.

Inuyasha reached the top of the coconut tree and plucked one of the round objects from the broadleaf tree. Inuyasha slowly worked his way down the tree's trunk before jumping down the last couple feet. And now he'd have to work on cracking the shell. Joy.

OOO

_Run. Keep going. Do not stop yet. Focus. Stop._

_Listen closely. Concentrate on the new voice. Do not speak. Just listen. Look up. Wait._

_Look forward. Speak. Say what you need to. _

_Red. Terrible red. NEVER LET YOUR GUARD DOWN!_

**Paint?**

_No._

**Clothing?**

_No._

…

…**Blood?**

_Not yet._

_**Eyes.**_

OOO

Kagome's eyes snapped open as she jolted up off the fine sand on the ground. Beads of sweat rolled down her neck and she glimpsed in front of her at the sparkling ocean, crashing against the shoreline. Her breathing became uneasy and her dark eyes rimmed with tears. She had no clue where she was; one moment she had nodded off after seeing the youths corpse, the next she was… somewhere. She might have forgotten something, but how does someone know if you lost your memory? Where was Inuyasha?

Kagome felt something reach out and grab her left shoulder from behind. Automatically, her body tensed up and her breath caught in her throat. Kagome stared at her trembling hands that hung limply at her side, not wanting to face whatever had touched her. Kagome could hear her heart pounding against her ribs, speed increasing with every second. She was too petrified to move at all.

Kagome looked in the corner of her eye and saw a calloused hand firmly planted on her shoulder. The hand slowly turned along with someone's arm, which had entered her view. Kagome considered the fact that the person behind her could easily be Inuyasha, but if it wasn't she wasn't going to take the chance to swat at the hand. It could make them angry. She wouldn't want that. She would just stay still, like a little girl who was promised a very special present if she stayed where she was.

The first thing that came into view was long, ebony tresses and then a familiar face- a face with handsome features and violet eyes. Inuyasha's face. The hand let go.

Kagome let out a long, shaky breath, which she had been holding in this whole time, and her body only slightly relaxed. But at the moment it seemed like she had forgotten how to talk so she would wait for Inuyasha to say something first. As if on cue Inuyasha asked: "Hey, you all right? You look really pale." Though there seemed to be no real concern in his voice.

Kagome paused for a moment, searching for her lost voice along with sorting out all the thoughts that bounced through her mind. Kagome chose to ignore Inuyasha's question and answer with one of her own.

"Where are we?" She whispered. Great, now all she needed was volume control and she'd be set to talk. Inuyasha gave a small shrug and an irritated frowned.

"I'm betting we're on an island. Either that or I'm going insane."

Kagome looked at Inuyasha, confused. Was he annoyed with her? Why? The only time he seemed remotely peeved at her before was just before she passed out. That really wasn't her fault; she was only human of course. So what was with the attitude? Or was it just realization of being stranded taking its toll on Inuyasha?

Kagome saw Inuyasha shove something into her lap. She looked down and saw a half of a coconut with white liquid lapping the sides of the shell. Her eyes flickered towards Inuyasha who was looking directly at her intently.

"Well?" He said in a still irritated voice. "Aren't you going to drink it?" Kagome nodded, and lifted the half of the coconut to her lips, downing it all in a few gulps. When the coconut was empty she realized she was still thirsty. But she could deal with it. Kagome took a look at her surroundings and saw bits of coconut shells in a pile about ten feet from her. A large rock with a pointed tip lay next to it.

"Did you have any?" Kagome asked curiously. Inuyasha shook his head.

"No. I'm gunna get myself some in a minute but first we should make a plan."

"A plan? For what?"

There it was again, the irritated look that made Kagome feel stupid, like she was missing something important. _Well sorry,_ she thought to herself. _If I'm a bit slow after being thrown off a ship, basically starving and dehydrating for two days and then waking up! _Kagome looked down at the sand when something finally clicked in her mind as she was slowly beginning to clear the cobwebs of sleepiness from her mind. "Oh. Never mind." She said looking at Inuyasha.

"Whatever. First I think you should try and find food or water in the forest while I try and build some sort of lean-to. But first I'm going to split open a few coconuts that you can gather water in and bring back. Got it? Good." He said not letting her even put in her two-cents. Kagome looked at the man in front of her. Was he telling her what to do? Oh no. No, no, no, no. That would just not do!

"Where do you get off telling me what should happen?" She said, her anger slowly rising. "If anything happens we should at _least _decide together, not just **you** settling on what should occur!"

"That's pretty big talk for someone who got their ass saved by me!" Inuyasha shouted. "I mean, really, you must be dumb especially the way you swam out that far! You would be shark chum without **_me_** right now!"

"I'm well aware of the fact that you saved me twice now but that doesn't mean I'm at your command or anything!" She yelled to match Inuyasha's own voice. And "I'm not dumb, for the record. I hate to admit it but neither can you because we both own multi-million dollar companies so unless every business idea I have ever had was a fluke I can't be as stupid as you make me out to be!"

"If you're so smart **you **think of something that'll actually do us some good!"

"Well for starters how am I going to be able to balance four halves of coconuts at once filled with water, even if there's a chance we find water today? Ever thought of that?"

"You're right!" Inuyasha sneered grabbing the empty coconut from her. "It's clear you have **no** co-ordination what-so-ever so it looks like I'll have to do everything." And with that Inuyasha brushed past Kagome about to head into the dark forest. Kagome sat there for a moment as she watched him disappear from sight as he entered.

Kagome ran to catch up with the young man. "Hey, wait!" she hollered after him. "You can't just _leave_! You can't do everything by yourself either! Think about it we're in the middle of the ocean with no civilize—Ooof!" Kagome groaned as she looked up at Inuyasha that was crouched down to just above her eye level, glaring.

"You really don't have any co-ordination, do you?" He scoffed. Kagome's cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

"There are thousands of things to trip on in a forest like this!" She spread her arms wide for emphasis. "Anyone could have fallen over that root." Inuyasha rolled his eyes and started to walk deeper into the forest.

"Nope," He called over his shoulder. "just you."

Kagome's shoulders shook as she clenched her firsts hard at her sides. _Why that brat!_ She said as she stormed in front of him making him stop his quest to find water for briefly. "What's your problem?" She screeched in his face. "I only woke up less than five minutes ago and you're acting as if this whole thing was _my _fault! News flash, it's not! You weren't like this when we were on water and suddenly you're acting like you're better than me or something, and I want to know why." She crossed her arms stubbornly waiting impatiently as Inuyasha turned his head and let out a small snort.

"You better get used to it, girl." He hissed in her face. "Because this is how I usually act. The only reason I was going out of my way to help you before was because I felt sorry for you. This is how it will be until we get off this God forsaken island and back at each of our houses when – oh, what do ya know? I have to deal with you at work!" He shoved her out of the way and continued to walk, yet again. Kagome gaped at the man. How could someone change just like that, and for the worst no less? It didn't seem possible but here she was; stuck in the middle of the ocean with a total jerk. _Great going, Kagome,_ Her cheeks were no longer red from embarrassment but from her rising temper and her brown eyes were glazing over. With a single huff Kagome turned on her heel and headed back toward the beach. _You just **had **to get yourself stranding on an island with a guy that has more mood swings than a girl at her time of the month. **Gre-e-e-at.**_

Not before tripping over the same exact root as before, of course.

OOO

Kagome dug the newly found sharp rock into the coconuts shell, twisting and turning it to get to the inner core's valuable liquid. Behind her lay five other coconuts, a hole about an inch in length in each. Four of the coconuts behind her were still filled with milk, the hole facing upwards so as not to leak. Those four were meant for Inuyasha, who had still yet to have a drink of anything. She didn't think she'd ever figure out _why_ she was saving them for him after what he'd said, but she had still saved them even though she could almost hear Inuyasha's crude remarks back if she handed even one to him.

_You're too softhearted and people that are softhearted are weak!_

_Keh', I don't **need** any of that crap. I found a spring filled with water and had more than my share of water. You wouldn't even have been able to find a drop of water I bet. _

_Wow, you actually managed to do something. Though it was pretty stupid. I could find a million things wrong with that idea!_

She didn't know this Inuyasha very well and she guessed she was just jumping to conclusions. She wondered that maybe when he came back he would be the same Inuyasha she had met on the raft and apologize for everything he said, telling her that he's just a bit angry at this situation and not at her. Or it could be…

_The only reason I was going out of my way to help you before was because I felt sorry for you._

Kagome let out a short sigh. She really hoped it wasn't that one, though it was most likely. They were in a very dangerous predicament on the raft, ten times more dangerous and less likely of survival. Some people reacted to danger in different ways and maybe Inuyasha's was sympathy for others. If Inuyasha was girl she could have blamed on the 'time of the month' and that Inuyasha was having rapid mood swings on the raft or having them on the island right now. But of course, Inuyasha didn't have a time of the month.

(A/N: You know, I couldn't help giggle at the irony in the last few sentences.)

Kagome figured that she'd just have to wait and see. Was this just the in-a-bad-mood Inuyasha? Or was this the real Inuyasha? She normally felt she had a talent at reading people's emotions but instead of being able to read Inuyasha like an open book it was the exact opposite. To her Inuyasha was like a book with a heavy-duty lock on it. Now all she needed was the key…

Kagome would have all the time on this island to find this 'key' even though she hoped the time on the island was limited. Very limited. She wanted to look out into the ocean, that vast open sea which she currently despised and see a boat or helicopter coming in her direction. The helicopter or boat would come closer and she would see someone she knew, maybe Shippo or even Renkotsu in the front waving to her.

Shippo was a very close friend of hers. He was very hyper most of the time and had the soul of a seven-year-old that knew too much for his age and was always armed with a witty remark yet was naïve at the same time. But in the true reality of things, Shippo was three years older than herself. Shippo seemed to think of her as a younger sister that he had to look out for and make sure she got into no trouble. He seemed like he would do anything for her; if she was sick he would come and visit her at her house and take care of her; if she needed him to pick her up something like more memory for her computer or even just pick up so take-out for her he would do it without any fuss or question; if he came to visit her in her office on the highest story of her corporation yet she needed him to leave because she was swamped with work he would understand then leave. Kagome loved her excited friend almost more than anything since he was one of the few friends she had. She never grew tired of his bouncy, energetic personality even in the three years she had known him and knew she never would.

The twenty-one year old carrot-top had entered her office only a year ago about a job application he had submitted. He wished to be manager of the new child daycare on the third floor of her quickly growing business. Many people in her company had children yet there was no babysitter available to watch them. Someone brought this to her attention and Kagome immediately had the solution - daycare. The plan was swiftly taken into action but they still needed a lead person to tell the staff what to do.

Kagome was thrilled when a qualified candidate asked for the job, all the others had been people who thought they knew something about kids, but had no training at all. But Shippo had everything she was looking for! He had studied as a child psychologist in one of the top universities and had been an elementary teacher for one year. And when she put him to the test of having the job temporarily for one day the kids seemed to love him. She hired Shippo on the spot when many of the children made a fuss about not wanting to go home yet Shippo had managed to settle them down and send them on their way without a single tear.

Renkotsu was also someone she had hired at about the same time as Shippo, though she didn't really think of him as a friend. She only though of him as what he was; the vice-president of Higurashi Corp. Renkotsu was the perfect business man – serious when needed to be, firm and someone that got things down with as little commotion as possible. In the business world nothing seemed impossible for her employee.

Renkotsu was also an odd man once you looked at it. He could be his own boss in his own company making ten times the amount he does now **and** surpass herself as tycoon. Yet, for some bizarre reason, he chose to work under her. Though now, while she was 'on vacation', he would be the one running the business until she returned… _if_ she returned.

Kagome resisted the urge to throw her head back and laugh bitterly as she mentally pictured Renkotsu, complete with the neatly pressed suit and serious yet bemused expression, sitting in a brand new, expensive leather desk chair in **her** office running **her** company. The company she had worked so hard to build. Finally, when she thought about how Renkotsu was going to make her businesses profit rate fly off the charts and have no way to use that money except to use it as toilet paper she could no longer hold it in and really _did_ let out a bitter laugh. And it wasn't any little chuckle that no one could hear because those tart sounds rang along the beach. She wasn't sure for how long though, but somewhere along the line her burst of angst laughter turned body-racking sobs. The sobs had been very quiet compared to the explosion of mirth. She had buried her face in both hands to try and muffle her crying – she didn't particularly like making her crying known when it did happen. She couldn't remember the last time she had a pity cry like this before the crashing of the ship, and it felt oddly good.

'_For the love of—Kagome!' _She demanded to herself _'Pull yourself together, you blubbering mess! Crying won't help at all! _And slowly but surely the tears and sobs decreased until Kagome did nothing but have the occasionally hiccup. _'Just think' _Her inner voice soothed _'If the table Inuyasha and I were floating on managed to find this island in two days we should be rescued by tomorrow! Finding us would be easy for search parties so I should be back and running that company in no time! Look on the bright side, Kagome. Just look on the bright side.'_

Kagome picked up the pointed rock she had dropped when she hid her face in her hands and started to work on getting to the centre again.

_Look on the bright side, Kagome. Just look on the bright side._

Soon enough Kagome would find out that she was sorely mistaken about almost everything she thought. The longer time drew on and the more she encountered on this island would make her realize that. In time everything would become clear to her; all her questions and thoughts would have an answer. But when those were answered more would pop up and her life would take on more complexity than she could ever imagine. Things in her mind would twist and turn until they took on a whole new meaning and everything for her, Inuyasha and whoever else may come along will be one thing… hell on earth.

Look on the bright side, Kagome. Look on the bright side.

_**She knows**_

_**She's so much more than worthless,**_

_**She needs to find the purpose.**_

_**She wonders what she**_

_**Did to deserve this.**_

_**-Thousand Foot Krutch**_

_**This Is A Call**_


	5. Chapter V

OOO

**_My name is Kagura. _**

_**I have done horrific things.**_

_**I am a horrible person.**_

OOO

She walked through the same underground hallway she had for years. Everyday the concrete walls, ceiling and floor boxed her in until she reached the other end where the rusted, metal door with one missing handle, lay creaked loudly when opened. The pipes that traveled along the walls and ceiling were made of the same, tarnished metal and where one pipe met another it would lead to the light _drip, drip _sound of water so commonly found in secretive places. Kanna had warned her about the pipes and if one was to ever burst while she was walking through the hall it would cause a chain reaction causing all of the metal tubes to break open and then she would surely drown along with the mould attaching itself to the uneven walls. Kanna would look up at her, with those big, blank looking eyes, and tell her the same thing.

'_I wish to be the one who walks through those halls when a pipe bursts,' _She would say in her petite, unresponsive voice. _'For then maybe I can die.' _That was the most hope that has ever been in Kanna's shell called a body -- the hope to die. Ironic, isn't it, when someone hopes for death?

Many in this dreadful place wanted out somehow, whether it is through suicide, an accidental death or even being murdered. But most of all the fall of their leader, the one who lead them to wish for death to come sooner, the one who tortured them to become who they are, the twisted man who she despised along with many others, the one known as Onigumo-san, the one she knew as her father.

Yes, the one thing in life she had absolutely no control over was the thing she regretted most, Onigumo-san – Naraku – being her father. She had been the one to endure the most suffering from the wicked man even since she was a little girl. Her whole life she always hated Naraku (she was always sickened with herself to think she came from him.) for many reasons. She never got the freedom everyone deserved, always cooped up in the house and only occasionally let out to go to school. She was known as 'the sick girl' throughout her education because she only went to school about 3 days a week at the most, instead of the regular five. Naraku always called the school with the excuse she was sick when really her father kept her inside and forbade her from going to school, making up for the lost time by abusing her when he wasn't at work. For the longest time she never knew where her father worked and when she was fifteen she found out, though she really wished she hadn't.

_**By the age of nine I knew how harsh the world really was. It's a dog-eat-dog world.**_

When Naraku wasn't at work Kagura had to be the good, little girl, not making any noise to disturb daddy after a hard day at work. She would have to stay up in her room and do the work that was brought to her by a classmate. When she needed to go to the bathroom she would sneak out – over the years of living with someone as abusive as her father Kagura became the master of sneaking and being quiet – and food was brought up to her once a day.

_**Control or be controlled is the way of our world.**_

When she was permitted to go to school for the day (with her father escorting her there and back as usual) and she felt thrilled, unlike most children. A whole **six** hours to play and wander and make noise almost whenever she pleased! The classes didn't annoy her and neither did the people, really. Kagura got the reputation of being that kid who likes to defy orders and doesn't take shit from anyone. She would sit in the back and think about all the awful things that could happen to her father. She thought of it as creativity, not being sadistic. Only occasionally Kagura would listen to her sensei, which was a big fan of promoting peace.

_**You're always being controlled no matter where you are though. Only something pure – pure good, pure evil – cannot be controlled. **_

When her father was working the house was empty so she was free temporarily to wander around but couldn't leave any evidence that she did anything. If Naraku ever caught her she would have never been allowed outside again, and she knew that if she wasn't allowed out that meant all her time would be spent to being the good little girl she must be in front of Naraku. There was only one bad thing she got caught at. That was the day Kagura thought for sure she would be doomed to spend the rest of her life indoors, but her father surprised her.

_**Naraku always took the form of pure evil.**_

Kagura remembered the day and every detail with it. It had been smouldering out, even her knee-length regulation skirt did nothing except make her legs burn yet as she walked closer to the school with Naraku by her side she saw the junior high students all standing out in the sun, girls chatting with each other and most boys playing soccer. She remembered think about how they were all stupid to know how hot it was but still want to dehydrate. No one even thought of sitting in the shade, but instead they complained about the heat. Dumb kids; she hoped that everyone one of them died. Kagura had at least thought to make a paper fan for some sort of cooling. Kagura also distinctly remembered her sensei monitoring over everyone to make sure things stayed in order and no one was trying to beat someone else up, even though everybody was too hot to try anything.

Then **_that_** feeling came – that dreaded freezing sensation that numbed her body for a few moments as she stood, frightened, like a mouse about to be pounced on by the family cat and when it passed needles pricked her hands and feet. She rarely got this feeling, her unique feeling that something dreadful was about to happen. She had only felt this feeling at times when something horrible was about to happen and lately the periods between her 'freeze-ups' had become sooner and sooner. The feeling had never failed her and each time they involved Naraku in some way. But this time it felt different… so much stronger than the others.

_**My sentence was decided for me. It was decided by my own heartless behaviour. I killed myself before I knew it. **_

When it happened black dots invaded her vision and she swore her knees would have gave out or maybe she would have been lucky to pass out but she heard something that made her break out of her stupor.

"Ah, Onigumo-san! It's so nice to see you again. May I talk to you for a moment? It's about Kagura's grades in science." Her unusual crimson eyes snapped open at the sound of her sensei's cheerful voice. She hated that voice just as much as she hated her sensei. And she knew her sensei hated her back. Thoughts in Kagura's head swam around. He knew Naraku would not be pleased with her current mark in science and would surely be beat unless by some miracle he didn't care. It wasn't her fault that she wasn't interested in science; everything seemed not to add up when it explained what was possible and what wasn't. She believed in old legends like the boy who died foolishly when he flew too close to the sun and how mystical, dangerous beings roamed the earth many years ago. She didn't want to believe that everything had an answer! Things didn't add up in her opinion. There must be magical things or ghosts or monsters in our giant world.

_**I killed myself through my own difference, my separate way of thinking.**_

Kagura was a bright girl, one of those people who were born smart and didn't need to try, and even then she knew her sensei meant to offend her when she told Kagura to go off and play with her friends. Her sensei knew Kagura had no friends at school. Many people were scared of her or just didn't like her. She heard what they all said behind her back, that she had that evil gleam in her eyes and she looked like one day she might pull something big. Most comments were about her strange eye colour she inherited from her father, that ruby colour, the colour that seemed to scream hell.

_**I knew I was different. That's why I knew nothing was, as it seemed.**_

But when Kagura was told to go off and play the gleam of mischief from her eyes faded into a look of innocents, the innocents of a lost, scared girl she lost years ago and gained her hard exterior. All she could do at that point was torpidly nod and walk towards the school. She remembered leaning against the red bricks of the school wall, watching her sensei and father talk. Naraku would occasionally say something to the teacher, perhaps answer a question before the peppy sensei's mouth went into overdrive again.

Kagura stared wide-eyed at the talking adults and wished she could wave off her current problem. The sensei would just float away with a gust of wind she created in her mind and maybe even Naraku, even though she knew that not even the strongest wind could beat him.

_**I was different because of his unbeatable aura.**_

Kagura always had a strange fascination with the wind and how free it was to do whatever it wanted. It had control over people, either letting them enjoy its cool breeze or begging for mercy when their lives were in jeopardy. The wind could not be manipulated or captured. It was free to do what it pleased, when it pleased. She always felt a strange connection with the wind, like she was just wind waiting to be able to flow along. That's why idea of her sensei being at the winds mercy appealed greatly to her.

I was a child of the devil himself and… 

Kagura's hand gripped tightly on her paper fan, so tightly her knuckles turned white. She looked around the corner at her father and teacher speaking in the empty part of the school. They seemed to be so deep in conversation about her that her sensei never noticed her sitting on the concrete, glaring. But Naraku noticed, even though he made no sign to acknowledge her, but she knew.

…_**Naraku always knew.**_

Kagura's eyes narrowed as her irises moved to the left than the right, looking for anyone that might she what she was about to do. People in her school already thought she was 'mentally unstable' (to put it in light terms) and if one person even saw her trying to blow away her teacher with a flimsy piece of paper it would give them a field day for rumours about Krazy Kagura, formally known as Kagura Onigumo.

Kagura, letting her sadistic imagination get the better of her, allowed her hand to start waving her paper fan. _Bye-bye sensei, there'll soon be search dogs looking for your body. _She imagined the brightness of a sword's blur ripping across the air as it reflected off the blood-drenched sun ripping her teacher into little bits with the swiftness and accuracy of a dragon. It all seemed so surreal to her at that time.

_**If I could go back and take anything back it would be my merciless thoughts. My sick dreams became a sick reality.**_

Her imaginary world would take over as it had many times. Everything would be tinted in red and her dreams would be complete without really being complete. In her dream world Naraku was dead, she was free to do what she please, she had friends, a life and she was normal. Today in her dream world she started to wave her fan fast up and down, side to side, making quick circles until finally one of those gleaming blades exploded from the fan and headed towards her sensei. That blade sped so fast, too fast, that her sensei had merely let out a little yelp of surprise before it dug into her torso. Her arms and legs went flailing forwards while the centre of her body was pushed back and eventually the force started slicing into her. The razor blade cut clean through her, the teachers bottom half flying a few feel from where she was actually hit while the top half fell lifelessly to the ground with a sickening thump. The expression on the woman's face was one of shock and confusion even after death and the brown eyes had long lost their life and glazed over. Kagura's eyes flickered around the scene – she had really out-done herself this time. The blade had done its job so thoroughly that there was not a drop of blood around; even through her red vision she could see that. The deed was done, and soon the image of reality would come.

_**I had always imagined my life as some horror movie, myself being the murderer being controlled by Naraku.**_

When the red disappeared everyone would have his or her own reactions. Her teacher would either have not noticed or call the school council for some anger management courses. Naraku would be ashamed if that happened and decide to get a personal tutor for her so he could go off and do whatever he did during the day and not worry about his daughter making trouble. Kagura would be doomed to her 'house' for the rest of her life.

The red slowly faded out into the world's normal colours but the disturbing images still stayed. The sensei's upper body still lay limp and lifeless on the ground with a horrified expression that would always haunt her. Kagura didn't know how but everything she had done had actually happened. Kagura was a killer.

Kagura the killer.

_**That was about twenty years ago.**_

Kagura shook the memories away and pulled open the rusted door with ease. A man sat in a leather business chair, one leg crossed over the other and elbows on the armrest with his hands folded and pressed against his chin. The man stared at a white computer screen with small black print on it. She knew that under those calloused hands was a malice smirk, like the one he wore twenty years ago as she withered under those hellish eyes…

**_My name is Kagura_**.

… Shaking…

_**I have done horrific things.**_

… Crying…

**_I am a horrible person._**

**_… Yet…_**

**_I wish I could do it again._**

OOO

_**By the age of nine I knew how harsh the world really was. It's a dog-eat-dog world.**_

_**Control or be controlled is the way of our world.**_

_**You're always being controlled no matter where you are, though. Only something pure – pure good, pure evil – cannot be controlled.**_

_**He always took the form of pure evil.**_

_**My sentence was decided for me. It was decided by my own heartless behaviour. I killed myself before I knew it.**_

_**I killed myself through my own difference, my separate way of thinking.**_

_**I knew I was different. That's why I knew nothing was, as it seemed.**_

_**I was different because of His unbeatable aura.**_

_**I am the child of the devil Himself and… **_

_**…He always knew.**_

_**If I could go back and take anything back it would be my merciless thoughts. My sick dreams became a sick reality.**_

_**I had always imagined my life as some horror movie, myself being the murderer being controlled by Him.**_

_**That was about twenty years ago.**_

_**My name is Kagura. **_

_**I have done horrific things.**_

_**I am a horrible person.**_

_**Yet…**_

_**I wish I could do it again.**_

OOO

Okay, I guess I just treated you guys to 2 chapters in a row for my lack of updates. (You know, the whole virus thing) But, I want no complaining that this one was short, kay? Just kidding… though I already do get enough complaining at home. But anyway, besides the point; just a little in look on Kagura who **will** be playing a major role in this story near the end. Even if you don't like her because you prefer the whole RinXSess pairing (which will have some fluffiness though it's not what you're thinking.) you'll just have to deal.

-Hearii-sama


	6. Chapter VI

She had ignored every fact for long enough. She had ignored the fact that she now felt like she had sand in her veins; she ignored the fact that sweating now seemed like a hobby for her body; she ignored the fact that her hair needed some serious work to get it's knots out; she ignored the fact that her soul was now sick of coconuts (milk and inside); she ignored the fact that the half built lean-to was mocking her; she ignored the small piece of driftwood that used to be an elegant table leg was also mocking her by reading in sloppy, deep carvings:

_Got here: August 20th/06_

_Inuyasha Takayama & Kagome Higurashi_

_Days:_

**IIIII IIIII IIIII**

Yes, by now that was one the thing getting on her nerves most… besides the fact she had only a thick-skulled jerk for company… and she was starving and thirsty… and if they wanted to survive longer they'd need more than coconuts… they'd have to go in the forest again… most chances of being discovered were basically blown… they had been here for… for…-she counted the lines on the wood- …for fifteen day.

The part that she hated the most was the days.

The part that she longed for the most (at the moment) was fresh water.

The part that she was scared of the most, truly scared of, was the fact that they were basically dead already.

She was terrified. She had never planned on dying this way; she'd rather die almost any other way. Car crash, freezing to death, falling of a cliff, even _murdered_. All of those were quick and sometimes relatively painless so why did she have to lay there, too tired and weak to even get food and water, and rot till she was nothing but the sand beneath her? It was too harsh. She would die of dehydration, starvation, drowning (if she couldn't get up when the tide came in) or all of the above.

_I'm going to die here,_ she thought I'm going to _die and rot and no one will ever know that at least two people survived the crash._ Tears swelled up in her eyes even though she knew she shouldn't cry. She had promised herself days ago that cry did nothing but waste energy and very valuable body fluids. But she still couldn't help a few tears from overflowing onto the sand where she lay.

"Inuyasha," Kagome rasped. Since when did it hurt to talk? She felt as if her mouth was full of sand.

When no one answered Kagome looked to her left where he was only to see the sand stretch out along the tree line with nothing on it. Kagome propped herself up on her elbow and looked around. Wasn't he here just a minute ago? Was she really going insane that fast?

Speaking of Inuyasha, he had never changed his attitude, just as he said. He remained rude, obnoxious, and contradicting much to Kagome's distaste. She never knew what had happened to the Inuyasha on the boat and she didn't think she ever would but somehow, in the last fifteen days, he had become more tolerable. Kagome adapted to his ways, just agreeing that he was right when it came to petty arguments (though others would call it 'Taking a dive'). When it came to large disagreements like food, water or shelter, Kagome had managed to stand up for herself and do things her own way. She did have to give Inuyasha credit, though. He was the only reason they had some sort of shelter in the first place. His persistency to keep adding on to it was making it build at a slow pace, but rather that than it end up being a crap-shack in the end.

But there was something about Inuyasha she couldn't quite put her finger on. Kagome didn't know whether it was his sudden change in personality from raft to island or his odd disappearances into the tree line, she always got a bad vibe; like there was something he wasn't telling her. His disappearances into the forest did not only make her feel uncomfortable and untrustworthy but they made her worry. What if one time he left but never came back? What if he did come back with a serious injury? Kagome wasn't capable of handling that sort of stuff.

Not only was Kagome worried for Inuyasha; she was worried for herself as well. Kagome knew Inuyasha could handle himself fairly well so far; he had proved that after he fearless fended of a large snake (One that she was fairly sure was poisonous) that was looking for a meal. Kagome surely would have been bitten and poisoned and left for dead. She knew, though it was very hard for her to admit, that without Inuyasha on this island she'd already _be _dead.

Not wanting to be left alone Kagome stood up on wobbly legs, falling down once, and made her way to the trees. She saw no footprints in the sand so she walked behind their little hut and decided to go in from there. As she entered the trees she tried as hard as she could to watch out for branches, roots and rocks. She surprised herself when she didn't even stumble.

If Kagome was in her right mind at the moment she would be screaming at herself for being an idiot. Going into this forest was almost suicide. She had tried once already in an attempt to find water and food but ended up coming back a half an hour later with bruises from falling and cuts from tree branches. All that mattered now though was finding Inuyasha and yelling at him for doing the one thing she was doing – Going into the forest alone. Not to mention that she really wanted to find out why he kept going into the forest in the first place. Also, she trusted Inuyasha more than this island and really didn't want to be alone.

Kagome lazily shifted her way through branches, trying to see if she could get a slight indication of where that guy was. It seemed to her like trying to find a needle in a haystack. Cliché, she knew, but very accurate. "Inuyasha," she called out weakly. The only response she received back was the hollow echo of her own voice. With an impatient sigh Kagome took another unstable step forwards only to have it suddenly jerk down. She let out a small yelp as she fell forward, her foot still stuck in the small hole made by who-knows-what animal. Kagome tried to lift herself up with her hands only to fall back down with another sudden jerk. She felt a small crack in her ankle as she was now facing up, twisting her foot in an awkward position. Kagome bit her lip to force back the tears of pain blurring her vision. She refused to cry out in pain once again. She succeeded at flipping herself back on her only to now **hear** a sickening '_criiick_' in her foot.

Kagome looked around for anything; _anything _to help pull herself up and all she came up with was a long, brittle twig and a short vine. Then, for one second her mind seemed to fight off the invading haze and one mentally formed word appeared – _pulley_. Before she knew it Kagome had already slung the vine around a near-by tree limp and used her small twig to pull over the other end of the vine. She looked at both ends of the rope then forwards in thought. _Now what?_

Inuyasha's voice answered her own. _Knot, stupid. Make a knot! _His face flashed through her mind as she felt her temper starting to heat up like water under a stove burner. Kagome huffed and blew out her cheeks. "Well so-_rry_, you royal pain in the ass! The only reason I'm **in **this mess is because of you, you seem to forget!" Her hands worked as she fumed over the imaginary voice's taunting.

Before she new it, she was tugging on the make-shift rope causing the knotted ended, which was tied around the other end, to slide up to the very top of the tree branch. Kagome blew out another sigh, this one of desperate hope, and attempted to pull herself up. Her hands, now raw and sore, rubbed against the roughness of the vine but she didn't notice. She would prove herself. She wasn't hopeless, or dependant or weak. She was intelligent, resourceful and was not going to die because of a God forsaken **hole **after she survived a crash! Inuyasha wasn't the only independent person!

Kagome's hands slipped in an instant and she found herself in a bigger heap than before. Her hair was strewn on the ground pitifully, tears of pain dripping down her chin as her ankle was shoved deeper in the ground on an awkward angle. She had barely moved, and even then it was in the opposite direction.

"You know, you're hopeless." A voice echoed in the forest. Kagome's head shot up. It didn't sound like Inuyasha yet at the same time the voice sounded familiar. "You think you can find a person in this whole jungle yet you can't even pick yourself up off the ground? You're completely right, that _is_ independence!" Kagome recognized the voice, and she could even pin-point it, too. It was coming from herself. She was talking to herself.

Kagome lay her head down on the mossy earth, ignoring crippling pain sent up her spine as she crushed her ankle further. Her eyelids drooped halfway down and she chocked a sob. Why can't I do anything right? She thought. Why am I so… so…useless?

Kagome's head began to swim as she realized she couldn't breathe. She became unaware of her head resting on the ground and the forest around her faded darker and darker until there was nothing left. She wasn't sure whether she had closed her eyes or if it was the lack of oxygen, but she was too confused and exhausted to tell. She had been stupid; stupid to go wandering; stupid to worry; stupid to use up the last bit of her energy of a man that could take care of himself. She was stupid and now there was nothing she could do about it.

A small gust of wind blew in her face followed by a deep noise, one that she couldn't distinguish or comprehend. It seemed to be coming from above her and suddenly she was aware of tugging... on her arm? She wasn't sure of anything anymore.

Soon, the noise stopped like everything else did. She couldn't remember anything after that.

OOO

Why are people so easy to worry, women especially? Why do people always jump to conclusions and not think before they rush into action? Why don't they think about all of the other options they had and all the other possibilities that can occur in a situation? Why? It was driving him mad.

Why did Kagome rush into the forest alone? Why did she have to act like his mother, never letting him out of her sight, when she couldn't even stand without falling? Why did she try to act like a mother when she couldn't even take care of herself? Why wouldn't she just worry about herself and how she was going to _live_?

Inuyasha gave another sigh, and it registered in his mind that he had found a new hobby – sighing. He shifted the weight on his back a few times before progressing any farther. Even for him, it was becoming difficult to carry the dead-to-the-world girl on his back and that just made it all the more painfully aware that he was growing more dehydrated as the days passed. Coconuts were no longer enough. They needed pure water; freshwater.

The man paused from his trek though the forest once again and scoped his surroundings. Trees were among trees; rocks pilled on the backs of other rocks; leaves made bumps in the ground as they brunched into small heaps. Everything looked fine, but the environment was lacking something - something vital and important. Noise and movement were missing in the woods.

Inuyasha's senses picked up on high alert, almost subconsciously. There were no bugs chattering on the tips of the trees, no birds seen above the almost impenetrable canopy and no small, quick animals scurrying around. It was as if time had frozen in place, but at the same time it hadn't. Inuyasha did a half-turn in anxiety before snapping his head back to its original position as he heard rustling in the brush more than 40 feet away from him. He braced his feet firmly on the mossy ground and tightened his grip around the limp legs that dangled from his waist. The crunching came closer.

A black oval erupted from the dense foliage with tousled bits of string set in every direction on every part of the shape. And then, even more unexpectedly, another oval came up through the brush but brown and more tame than the first. As this was happening the original form had grown closer revealing a new colour uncommon to its surroundings – cream – skin.

If Inuyasha's senses hadn't been acutely prepared before now they were going haywire. There were other people, _live_ people, on this island. They weren't alone; they were probably never alone in the first place.

Oddly, the only thing Inuyasha's mind could come up with was the most inadequate thing he could think at the moment – why were they so _loud_?

And they were loud. He could hear them both clearly, the obvious female voice louder than what seemed like a timid, scared voice of a male, arguing over something he couldn't grasp yet. But he was fairly sure that it had something to do with clothing.

"You seriously need to throw it away! It's no use to us 'cause it's all torn and ratty, plus you can't even wear it." The female's irked voice cut in through the silence.

"There's a use for everything, so just leave it be. It _has _to be useful for something. You're making too big of a deal out of this. It's not doing any harm sitting in the plane." Inuyasha noticed that the male voice had a knowledgeable, relaxing air to it yet, at the same time, it held authority and reasoning, He must be a big guy when it came to charisma, Inuyasha thought, another unimportant thought popping up. But all the while Inuyasha's tense grip and firm foothold never relaxed.

The two heads came closer to view, showing their whole bodies except for the feet that were still covered by the shorter, thinner fern. Like Inuyasha had assumed earlier, one was male, taller than his companion and had ruffled, cropped jet-black hair. If Inuyasha was a girl or gay, he would have probably said that he was so handsome that he could make just about anyone want him and his navy eyes, but, thank God, Inuyasha wasn't gay or a girl.

The woman reminded him very much of Kagome, yet at the same time they were nothing alike. She seemed to hold a certain air to her, defiance and confidence, which also were shown in her large brown eyes. Her caramel hair flowed and then down, as it was set in a high ponytail held by a ratty scrunchy. Inuyasha was free to admit that she was a woman blessed with looks, just like her friend. Her face was in the same heart shape form that contracted well with her shape features. She probably could influence people to her desires with a flicker of eye contact and a little flirting.

Inuyasha was nervously aware that the couple was closing in on Kagome and himself and knew that eventually they would see them. He debated in his head whether or not to show himself by stepping out into the open or slinking back into the forest. The two didn't look too well groomed, they were about as clean as he was actually, but there had also been mention of a plane. Were they rescuers, or were they a threat in some way? Something was off about this island, that much Inuyasha knew, but could this pair really be it?

There was a rolling feeling on Inuyasha's back. He looked over his shoulder and saw Kagome stirring around before suddenly stopping, her face angled towards his. Her eyes twitched moments after for they opened, slowly at first, to reveal her beautiful coffee orbs. Several events occurred after that.

Kagome's mouth opened, about to speak to him. Inuyasha, with lightning speed, swung her around and clamped a stiff hand firmly over her mouth. Her eyes widened as she struggled to get away from the imposing hand and Inuyasha felt her teeth bite sharply into his fingers. Inuyasha choked back words he was about to scream as he leaned down to Kagome's ear.

"Let. Go." He ground out between clenched teeth. Kagome's head shook back and forth. By the look on her face Inuyasha guessed she didn't even know who he was at the moment. "It's me," He hissed angrily. "Inuyasha." Kagome's head twisted around slightly to see her 'attacker'. Inuyasha let out a quiet sigh of relief as her determined biting relaxed, even though she threw a deadly glare his way. She continued to stare at hi for a moment, rage still evident in her eyes before once again he felt a sharp pain in his hand. Inuyasha groaned lowly in pain before bending down to her ear again. He released his death grip from her waist – which he just realized was there and suspending her a good foot off the ground as he crushed her to his body – and pulled his right hand to rest against her temple.

"As a last resort I _will _knock you out, though right now I'm considering it because you were much more **agreeable **when you were sleeping." He said in a hushed, threatening tone. His fingertips pressed lightly into her temple.

Kagome's teeth pressed harder into his skin for a moment as if to let him know that he wasn't going to get off scotch free before she finally let go. Her gaze finally dropped from his face and her posture slackened, though she crossed her arm in defiance. Inuyasha also realized she was only supporting herself on her good foot. Inuyasha took in a slow, cleansing breath, remembering his anger management counselling while closing his eyes. Then he exhaled slowly and reopened them, ignoring the throb in his hand. The teeth marks probably weren't going to leave for a while.

"Look," Inuyasha said and to his own ears he sounded exasperated. He reminded himself to calm down unless he wanted a matching set of teeth marks. "I am going to put you back onto my back but whatever you do, do **not **make a sound. No matter what." Inuyasha wasn't about to tell her about the people. For all he knew she would be naïve enough to run up and hug them, tripping and crying all the way… she'd probably pass out once she got there. Inuyasha snorted to himself. Yea, that was Kagome alright.

Inuyasha studied the couple who seemed to be out of Kagome's view but not his. He grimaced, knowing that if he passed up the opportunity to meet these people he could easily be passing up his chance of survival. It helps; he told himself, that they don't have anything that could be used as a weapon on them. It slightly comforted him but then the thought came back to slap him in the face telling him that if they had no sort of weapon then they probably weren't rescue. Rescue wouldn't walk into a forest full of dangerous animals without protection. And with that bit of information in mind Inuyasha swung Kagome onto his back once again – ignoring the small whoosh of air that came out of her like someone had punched her in the gut – and headed out into the open.

A/N: I came up with a new plan. If I don't update for at least two weeks send me hate mail to my hotmail address iloveinu2005 hotmail . com (With no spaces) and that should get me out of my funk. I do plan on writing more stories but I want to get this one done first and it is at least 20 chapters, the way I'm planning it.


	7. Chapter VII

A/N: Back and writing again, I am pleased to say. Lately, though, I've been kind of stressed, worrying about silly things. Mostly, I'm worrying about entering high school. True, I can't wait for it because I'm sick of being babied but also I'm going to a different high school than three out of my four best friends. Also, I entered all advanced classes under teacher and parent recommendation and even though I'm a really good student I feel like… hmmm… I won't _be_ enough. For those of you that have been in this sort of situation do you have any words of advice? If so that'd be great. Send it in your review or, if you prefer for some reason, send it to my hotmail address,** i l o v e (underscore) i n u (at) h o t m a i l . c o m** (take out spaces/ add underscore and at sign). Thank you _so _much if you do!

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_Survival Is Just a Game_

_Chapter VII_

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Murder is a memorable thing for everyone involved.

It takes place in any surrounding, any form and with any person though each scenario is always different. Just yesterday I had read in Tokyo news about a thirty-year-old woman being brutally clubbed to death with a gulf club in her own house, courtesy of her husband. She had suffered, the paper had said, and was suffering under abuse even before the attack. If she had told anyone, the police, a friend, _any_one she probably would have still been alive and well, divorced from her abusive husband.

It didn't take much for the police to figure out who had killed the wife - I figured he was a bad liar and might as well of walked up to the station with the bloody club in hand, something the morning paper didn't have to tell me. Even by looking at all of the evidence the paper told me, in small words for the more dimwitted of folk, a six-year-old could have pieced everything together about as easily as a ten piece puzzle. It still muddles me why the newspaper tried to make every detail seem like it was pure genius, like when the murderer had stashed the bar under his couch. Oh yes, that man was a genius with a capital J. It sickened me to no end so I switched on to the front page murder story once more and re-read the mastermind who committed his own, unique masterpiece.

Gruesome Body of Nine-Year-Old Trisha Found beneath Surface – Murderer Still At Large was the title of this particular piece, the font or size no different than that of the title on the other murder story or the font in the classified section. It was what was below the bolded letters that intrigued me and got my mind working into overdrive, trying to piece together the particular organizer of this death. It seems I had met my match because I could not solve anything with the information that leaked onto the recycled paper.

I have seemed to mule over who the murderer was for months now, getting no feedback in return as I had for the other cases. The murder's signature was scrawled all over this case as it had for over ten others in the past year or so and I was honoured to even see that my story had made the same page as it in the addition two weeks ago when the murderer had last struck. But I felt particularly close to this murder, as if I had a relation in it. I just couldn't put my finger on why. Though, to my regret I have not yet, I prayed that one day I may piece together the person through another murderer's logic and have a pleasant chat with them. I'd like to find out how they ticked and see if it was in anyway like my own clock. It's _so_ nice to be understood.

As I skimmed through the story reading about how little Trisha would have celebrated her tenth birthday by now, how the pleas of her desperate parents didn't distract the murderer and in the end the police had found Trisha in a place they expected, their only suspicion of her whereabouts was the awful odour coming from her bedroom. Trisha had been nailed to the planks of wood underneath her floorboards all alone and no one had a clue. Pure genius.

It was now that I had figured out why I had this connection with the child serial killer as I fiddled with a lock of golden hair. It was now that I had figured out why I wished to talk with this person. It is now that I figured out why I wanted to murder with this person. And, with great pride, I realized that all of the answers pleased me to no end. I was committing the perfect crime as well.

OOO

Blinds rustled as they were pulled shut, the light switch flipped softly, a leather chair groaned under pressure and soon everything was quiet.

Nothing moved.

Again, the creaking of the chair interrupted the oddly creepy silence before it came to an abrupt halt. A quiet, mischievous voice followed immediately after floating among the dust in the room, chiming off various bookshelves. "Hello," There was a dead pause for a split second. "I've been waiting… waiting…" The voice trailed of before an annoyed groan burst through the air followed by incoherent muttering stretched the long, mahogany length of the room. The chair squealed again.

As soon as the chair turned for a third time a black, compact intercom crackled and buzzed until a woman's bored voice also invaded the room. "Sir, there's a Nakasumi-san here to see you." He voice was so flat that the papers scattered along the dark cherry wood desk were probably jealous. The voice continued. "She had an appointment for 2:15 today. Would you like me to cancel?" Dark thoughts ran along the man's head as he considered something private to himself. In a flash he was leaning over the desk, hovering inches above the metal speaker, pressing the button labelled 'Talk' until it wouldn't go down any further. The man's voice started to speak in a range of enthusiastic tones, going faster and faster till the words became mush as soon as they were out of his mouth. The secretary seemed to get the gist of the information because she replied with a curt 'She's on her way,' before buzzing off and returning to her normal, dull activities.

The man on the other end had the opposite effect to the conversation though. A victorious fist pumped powerfully into the dusty air before the words 'She's on her way,' buzzed from the back of his mind to the front and he dove for the oversized leather chair. Spinning a full 360 degrees before another 180 the man with bright eyes crossed one leg over the other before folding his hands neatly on his armrest, into his lap. 'Remember,' he reminded himself, the information vital to the plan. 'Pace is _everything_.'

From down the hall heels – stilettos, he believed - clacked on the hardwood floor about ten feet before the office door. The immature man tried to calm his accelerating breath but with barely any success. Finally, his chance would soon be coming through those large, wooden doors just mere _feet_ behind him! Slowly, the door pushed open, just barely scraping the dark panel below. The clicking was much louder, much closer until finally it stopped at the foot of the professional-looking desk.

His eyes shut together in excitement, resisting the urge to let out a quiet squeal before he shifted the leather chair around – which, thankfully, decided to behave and not groan under weight - to come face to face with a beautiful, young woman. That, though, was the last thing on his mind. Holding his sly expression in place was hard enough without cracking up into a fit of girlish giggles.

"Welcome, Ms. Nakasumi," His voice was a light purr, just as he planned and hoped. "I've been expecting you."

From in front of him the young woman's expression changed from confused to deadpan and Shippo suddenly had the slightest feeling 'Ms. Nakasumi' wanted to bang her head off of something blunt. A gusty sigh escaped his lips.

"Apparently," He started lightly. "I need to work on the layout. You wouldn't believe the amount of phrases the villain has to choose fro--!" Before he could start ranting again Kirara cut him off.

"Shippo," It sounded more like a question to see if he was listening. Even so, she never waited for a response. "Grow up." A stack of papers was dropped onto the childish adult before the clacking of heels started up again and gradually disappeared.

OOO

Several things happened simultaneously.

Everyone tensed, three people's breath caught in their throats, two people jumped back and one person hid.

Several things happened simultaneously. All four people tensed, Kagome and the two others took in a sharp breath, the two across from Inuyasha jumped back, and the black haired man hid behind his companion. What a appalling day for the male gender, it was.

But other than that single form of cowardliness other specifically detailed things happened. Kagome's mind buzzed with questions in the form of angry wasps, stinging specific places but not one was about her injured ankle. Inuyasha seemed to sense this and snarled, baring his teeth like a vicious dog. In return, the man who hid shamelessly behind the woman seemed to regain _some _honour and poked his head over the brown hair, resting it on the brunettes shoulder. She seemed a bit annoyed by this action and shrugged it off while whispering harsh words to the man who stiffened immediately and stood tall next to his partner. The woman glared at the coward for a moment before shifting her glower to Kagome and Inuyasha's direction. Kagome, feeling slightly overtaken, ducked her head out off view but Inuyasha, not wanting to be outdone by a girl, returned it back ten fold. The opposing woman only seemed to intensify her own gaze with aggravation.

All and all, everyone in the clearing looked like a complete idiot.

If you actually picture the image you will see a woman hiding on a man's back who was glaring at another woman, who was glaring back, with their partner as stiff as a board beside them. The image froze for a split second before chaos erupted leaving the feelings of confusion and shock with it. The anger, though, was a different matter.

The brown-hair woman in ratty, khaki-coloured clothes started to speak with a certain edge of intelligence to her voice that Inuyasha did not expect. "Who the hell are you and what are you doing here?" Her sharp tone bit into the hot air, making everything all the more tense, leaving behind a slight echo.

Play it smart, Inuyasha reminded himself in the slight pause never missing a beat to glare. Make her angry, she doesn't seem too cool tempered to begin with. "I don't suggest," Inuyasha's own voice was a low growl, almost inaudible for the two across from him. "Asking questions you don't intend to answer." He finished off the witty comeback with a sarcastic smirk, the one his father had always told him to lose when he got moody.

The woman did just what Inuyasha had planned and stomped forward angrily to give him a piece of her mind. He decided not to back down, just as he hadn't before during the glaring, and dropped Kagome off his back. He heard her let out a small squeak followed by a weak "Hey!" but it all faded into the background.

This woman needed to learn how to back down and how to submit, because he wasn't about to. His footsteps quickened with his irrelevant and completely sexist thoughts about how the man of their group should have come to 'greet' him, how the man should have stepped up and not let a _woman_ do his job. How this woman should learn her place, as well - Like I said, completely sexist. His footsteps come to a halt when he was mere inches from the opponent before the yelling began.

"I asked you the question first and I'll be damned if I end up answering my own question!" She yelled. Boy, this woman was either stupid or had guts.

"Yea, well, I guess your damned, huh?" Inuyasha really had no clue how yelling at the top of his lungs was ever going to do anything, or what exactly he planned the match of becoming but ever since he came to this place, the island, he had gotten no real outlet. He wanted to scream or hurt something for so long to make up for what was happening to him but he had nothing as an outlet. He could easily have used an inanimate object – a rock or something – but there was no point in that because he would only look like an idiot. He could take it out on Kagome but she was no older, mentally of course, than a ten-year-old and taking something out on a ten-year-old was not the way he wanted to do something. So, now that the opportunity to actually have a living vent presented itself he jumped at the opportunity. He was not about to lose, either.

As the verbal slashes started to rise and rise, Kagome, who was a good 20 feet behind Inuyasha by now, started to feel stabs of pain in her ankle from dull and razor-sharp knifes as she tried to stand. At each attempt she failed and on the fifth try she collapsed the ground with a thud. A giant sigh passed her lips. What was she going to do now?

Just as the thoughts of stopping Inuyasha from getting into a full-fledged fight with the odd woman started she noticed a large, fair hand stretch into her view. Her eyes wandered her mind slightly, feeling in a place of déjà vu, as her eyes followed up the arm to meet the man with black, cropped hair. He gave her a lopsided grin that made her heart throb underneath her shirt. He really _was_ a sight to behold, looking better up-close.

"Do you need some help?" His voice was calm and collected, almost the exact opposite of his partner except with the same smart trace to it. Before she knew it, Kagome had nodded her head and he had taken her hand to support all of her weight on him. "Now," He said as he swung her arm around his neck. He turned his head to face her, which Kagome noticed with a reddening face, was only two or so inches away from her own. "Where exactly did you get hurt?" His tone was light despite the constant bickering of the couple behind them. Kagome was shocked by his peaceful tone, but didn't show it.

"Um…" she hesitated, trying to find words to fill her mouth. "I- I twisted my ankle. I fell into this hole- I don't know if it was an animal or something but it was out in the middle of nowhere – and I heard something crack but then I tried to make a pulley to get myself up cause I couldn't because I was exhausted but that just ended up failing and I ended up in the hole and passing out and I don't know…" Her voice trailed off, confused and a bit anxious to see his reaction. He merely laughed, though. While he laughed he looked down at her leg, taking a bit too long in her opinion but she was too cowardly to say anything, before turning his attention back to her face with an optimistic grin still in place.

"Okay, okay," He was trying to get the laughing fit to die down. "Why don't we go take a look at it?" And before she could tell what was happening they were on the move to a nearby fallen tree.

He gently set her down upon the thick, green moss and propped her injured leg on his knee. His expression was shocked as her pulled down his sock to revel a giant gash filled with dried blood and oozing puss. "Whoa…" His shocked expression remained in place as he tilted his head to met Kagome's own nauseous eyes. How come she was getting sick at this blood and not the other blood? Or was it the puss?

Without any words the surprised expression relaxed and he closed his eyes. He mumbled something along the lines of "Thank God I'm a doctor." before letting out a loud, shrill whistle to try and catch the attention of the other two who were _still_ arguing. After no response the expression become annoyed, almost as annoyed as the woman's was, before he started to bark at them as loudly as they were at each other.

"For Christ sake – would you two stop acting like five year olds and get yourselves over here?" This seemed to catch the attention of both Inuyasha and the woman and there heads whipped around angrily "Children?!" They both shrieked in unison before the woman gasped, her attention finally being caught by the blood on Kagome's leg. Her expression turned worried as her eyes turned guilt-stricken for ignoring such an injury before she rushed over to meet them, falling on her knees while observing the cut with precise eyes. They never left the gash while she spoke.

"What happened, Miroku?" So the man's name was Miroku.

"She got caught in a hole and fell forward, I'm guessing, and her ankle snapped. That's just a guess, at least." Snapped? Kagome became more sickened with the more she heard.

"You mean it's completely broken? And what gives you the authority to announce that?" When had Inuyasha sneaked up on them till he was right at her side, over her shoulder?

"Considering he's a doctor…" The woman trailed off, obviously still as annoyed as Inuyasha. Inuyasha opened his mouth for another witty comeback but was cut off by Miroku.

'Sango, can we focus on the matter at hand here please? We need to fix this right away." Sango huffed before turning her head in defiance.

"I'll go get some leaves to wrap it up."

"No, Sango, I need salt water right now. Inuyasha can go get some leaves because he probably doesn't know the way out." Inuyasha opened his mouth to either tell him off or tell Miroku he knew exactly how to get out. Either way, Kagome cut him off.

"Inuyasha," Her voice was stern and commanding. "Put a sock in it." Inuyasha's mouth froze in mid-word before he too let out a huff and stalked off to find some long leaves.

After both of the angry/annoyed adults left the two's view two simultaneous sighs were finally set free, followed by two side-grins.

"Children,"

OOO

Okay… I know I promised Sunday so never get me to promise stuff again. I'd like to thank all of my loyal reviewers and without your encouragement this wouldn't have been written (as cheesy as that sounds.) I'd like to give a special shout-out to Silver-Theif-Maker who's birthday was on Tuesday and whom I dedicate this chapter to.

So did anyone notice something a bit… odd… about the villain? No, not Shippo (even though he _is_ odd.) but the person in the first part? Not the part about murder, though that was odd too, but rather the description at the end? Blond? Take a note of that.

Thank you all for reading and possibly reviewing!

-Hearii-sama


	8. Chapter VIII

Author Note at bottom.

**Survival Is Only A Game**

_Chapter VIII_

If there was such a thing as echoing silence, Shippo was positive there would be one right now. Nothing moved, nothing made a sound, hell, nothing even lived except him it seemed. That could necessarily be true because right now Kirara was acting like a workaholic robot, staring at a blinding white screen littered with small font words never varying there black colour. What ever happened to picture books? He missed them dearly ever since the Child Care Center was disowned for the time being until Renkotsu took over the company by default. Then again, he never would have considered Renkotsu a child person, like Kagome had been, so he guessed the program would just stay down. Pray to God, not, because then he would be out of a job.

Why didn't Kagome make some sort of decision as to whom the company went to? Renkotsu, though very organized and brilliant when taking the form of a leader, did not seem like a good boss of a major company in his eyes. The look in his pitch-black eyes made a shiver run up his spine, thanking the Lord for having Shippo meet the cold man in an office rather than a dark alley. He was cut off by his disturbed thoughts as the tap of the scroll button was heard and Kirara started to read again.

He studied Kirara's features, like he would do with any other person when he was bored and wanted to try and guess what they were thinking about. She kept tucking and loosening strand of her cream-coloured hair behind her left ear, the rest of her flawlessly straight black streaked hair never moving an inch. The movement of her face resembled that of a stone's – it didn't move at all. The blood-red colour of her eyes flickered from word to word, always in a straight line as she reviewed the document. Shippo didn't know whether she kept that colour of contacts after she became a lawyer because she was too busy to get a new pair, she wanted to intimate the other lawyers into messing up their case with her radical eyes, or she just liked them. He never brooded on the topic, as he never really brooded on any topic about looks with the exception of Kagome, since he loved teasing her about how she never used them to her advantage. Then again, Kirara could also use her looks to lure men to her but wasn't sure if she ever had.

All and all, Kirara was a beautiful twenty year just as Kagome had been. Also, he couldn't get a single clue as to her thoughts from her expression. Stupid poker-face.

He was also able to gather one more thing. He hated this room. It reminded him too much of the late Kagome Higurashi and the fact that Kirara was reviewing over the funeral arrangements didn't help much either. Why did he choose to meet at Kagome's old office for this kind of thing again?

Oh yea... evil villain...

With a tired sigh Shippo plopped his carrot-toped head on Kagome's desk, wishing he was anywhere but here. Stressed, he thought. I've been too stressed lately; can't even sleep anymore.

Shippo didn't know that he had started too doze off until the sharp slapping of paper on the desk made his head jerk up. While peeling an old post-it note off his cheek he stared at Kirara who was running a thin hand through her hair. She fed him a weak smile and motioned to the papers in front of her.

"I'm exhausted," she explained. "Do you think you can take these papers to Renkotsu's office?" Nodding, Shippo gathered the bundle in his arms while Kirara continued to talk. "He probably won't be there so just leave them on his desk. Maybe leave a note with them saying what they are.

"They're forms for his accepting the company. He has to review them, sign them and give them back to me. " She told him with a slurred voice before he could ask. Noticing that she started tipping over slightly, shifting her weight from foot to foot a little too heavily, he slid behind the desk and wrapped one arm around her shoulders like a father might have for his sleepy daughter.

He peaked at the corner of the computer monitor for the time, cursing himself for sleeping so late and letting her do all of the work till ten at night.

"I think you should go home now, Kirara. You do look really tired." She peaked at him from the side, curious as to what he would do after he delivered the papers. "I'll be right out after I give these to 'the boss'." He threw in a sly smirk as he said boss for her benefit. He made sure she was completely balanced before letting go of her then gathered the documents once again. As he was just opening the door Kirara spoke up.

"I threw in a part just for you, basically telling him he couldn't get rid of the Child Center." But when he looked over his shoulder Kirara was already gathering her things so he smiled to himself and walked out the door. Good old, Kirara.

OOO

"Hey, you two! Cut it _out_, over there!"

"It's not **my** fault that this guy doesn't know how to build worth shit!"

"I suggest you watch what you say, because as far as I can tell you're not helpin' either!

"Yea, right! I've basically been carrying out this whole thing a-"

Sango stood frozen in place, as did Inuyasha, surprised by Miroku who had become fed up with their bickering and slapped a hand over each of their mouths. After giving them meaningful glares, he dropped his hands at his sides and nodded towards a log near by a pile of charred wood gesturing for the pair to sit.

Many things had happened within the week Inuyasha and Kagome had met the two known as Miroku and Sango. Kagome had found out that, by nearly impossible chances, Sango and Miroku's plane had crashed into the shore due to a malfunction of the engines. Only six people were in the plane – Miroku, Sango, a psychologist, scientist and of course the pilot. No one on the small plane knew anything about each other except they were offered a handsome amount of money to fly to North America to aid a deathly sick man who was extremely wealthy. Only Miroku, Sango and the pilot had survived. Soon after the pilot went into the forest to scavenge for food... and never came back. Sango said she shudders at the thought as to what happened to him.

No one really knew the current status of Miroku and Sango's relationship, not even them it seemed. At times they seemed like they were more than friends, while at other times they seemed like Sango hated Miroku. But, with his 'habits' it would be fairly hard not to hate him at times – If you were a woman.

Miroku had a very odd behavior. Though on the outside he seemed like a polite, unusually well-mannered gentleman on the inside he had a large perverted side. But Miroku, the man who made groping seem like a sport, had not backed down from Kagome. He had backed down from Inuyasha. That day of awakening had been fairly interesting.

"You lay so much as one _finger_ on her head and you'll never be able to again because I will rip them all off." Inuyasha growled under his breath so only Miroku could hear.

"You misunderstand, Inuyasha. I, being a doctor, was merely checking to see if everything was okay. I would do that to anyone." The other man laughed nervously. "Ask Sango, I checked her after the crash- it's just instinct for me."

In return Sango had snorted. "Yea, he check me alright. He does it every time I'm not looking." Miroku gapped at the pair who had started to glare at him. Looking around for something to help support him on the subject he spotted Kagome.

"Ah! Kagome, you believe me, right? It was only for your best interest!" Miroku became really desperate when she avoided the question by claiming to go find some driftwood along the beach for fire. Kagome never did find out what happened to Miroku when she was away, but there was a rather large hand print and a goose egg on his head when she returned.

And now, Kagome was asleep due to Miroku's commanding that she should rest her ankle. Even through Inuyasha and Sango's constant bickering and the intensity of the sun she managed to stay sleeping proving that she was exhausted.

"Now look, everything here is hard enough and we really do not need two children to deal with. We only have **three **people to search for food, **three** people to build a shelter for Kagome and Inuyasha, **three** people to do everything and arguing is going to get us nowhere. We are in the middle of nowhere physically, but mentally we do not have the time to be. So, whatever problems you two have you can sort them out on your own time – time which you will not have unless you get to work."

Miroku was known for his randomly mature speeches, something you would not expect of someone like him. Inuyasha had heard two of these talks already, on different subjects, and both times they managed to do their jobs. This time was no different, because Sango stood up and stretched, grumbling something under her breath about how he could always change her way of thinking. Miroku threw her retreating form a tired smile before he looked expectingly at Inuyasha expecting him to follow the woman's example. Inuyasha did something he hadn't done in a while – he gave in.

"Well," He groaned as he worked out a kink in his shoulder. "I can't really argue with logic like that." And it was around this time Kagome began to flail her arms around and mutter in her sleep.

OOO

Short- yes. Late- yes. Retarded – probably. Do you remember when I told you not to trust anything I say? Well, I'm adding something to that. Never trust what I say, especially when it comes to dates when I'm supposed to update. I know I told a few of you that I would update as soon as I got my new writing program but I didn't because I didn't expect a few things.

One – I didn't expect to be told we were holding a science fair (worth 25 percent of our grade) as well as a geography project (25 percent), French project (10 – 20 percent) and a novel study worth 50 percent all at the same time due around the same time.

Two – I, at age 14 because I'm a total square with a capital s, got my first boyfriend and lost my first boyfriend. I _**really**_ didn't expect this, not adding the fact that it was totally awkward because it was one of my best guy friends. No, I didn't get dumped but I didn't dump him. Call it cheesy or a cover up but we both decided it would be better to be friends. Yes, so while you were all (or some) were wondering 'Is she ever gunna update?!' there was a little me inside my mind running around screaming as if I was on fire "OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD, **OH MY GOD!**" basically.


End file.
